Carnevale
by TK Grimm
Summary: [COMPLETE] [ObiSaku] After being rescued by a Masked Man, Sakura makes it her mission to discover his identity... even if it means sneaking into the Doge's ballroom during Carnevale. AU.
1. Thief

_**TK**_: Inspiration has been next to dead lately. I went through several story concepts before I settled (hopefully) on this one. It's probably going to be around the same length as Rock Star Rising, so we're looking at approximately 30-40k words, depending on reception and story flow. It's fairly outlined, but anything can happen.

Y'know, I didn't think I'd ever write an ObiSaku but… here it is. Let me know what you think!

The cover image was drawn by me. Inspiration for the idea for this story came from the mission in Assassin's Creed II where you have to win the Golden Mask during Carnevale in order to gain access into the Doge's ball. I'm not using Assassins though—or even any real elements from Assassin's Creed save for the elements taken from that mission in the game. So you don't need to know anything about it in order to read this story. Everything is explained, and it's quite simple. This story takes place in late 1400s Venice, Italy, but that being said, I'm using mostly Naruto elements like characters and names. So really, you should know everything already.

**[Summary:** After being rescued by a Masked Man, Sakura makes it her mission to discover his identity—even if it means sneaking into the ballroom during Carnevale. AU.**]**

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_**Carnevale**_

_TK Grimm_

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**Chapter One:**

**Thief**

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The life of a thief is never easy, even with a guild at your back. Sakura knew this when she joined, but it was another matter entirely to experience it. Then again, with no family to come home to, it was either this or the many brothels that lined the streets. She'd seen firsthand what that did to people, and it was _not _going to happen to her.

Sakura was sixteen when Kakuzu found her. This tan-skinned, green-eyed miser was a high-ranking member of the Thieves' Guild, and also the one that Sakura owed her life to. He'd seen her pick a pocket during her time on the streets, and he'd brushed past her, slipping a business card between her breasts as he walked by.

_Clever girl. If you can pull that off again, I'll have work for you._

_We are all shadows._

It didn't help that the nameless bastard had picked _her _pocket in the process and stolen the money she'd taken from her mark. Needless to say, Sakura had to track him down. With no money and no parents, she was just another Venice street rat. What did she have to lose?

Her search lasted the entirety of the day and landed her in the midst of the red light district in the western section of the city called San Polo. Tracking down the thief by description alone was difficult because she just didn't get a good look at him—and he had a mask covering the lower portion of his face.

But at long last, she found a brothel called the Red Moon. Though she loathed entering such establishments (and had been offered jobs more times than she'd care to admit), Sakura ignored the women at the entrance and strode inside.

The lighting was dim, and a thick smoke filled the air that gave it a musky sent. A few men and their courtesans sat around a hookah in one part of the main room. There were two women in wooden cages who danced slowly and sensuously to a strange sort of steady beat that seemed to have no source in the establishment.

A woman, dressed elegantly in dark blue silks that matched her exotic hair color, approached Sakura. She had a white paper flower in her hair and honey-colored eyes seemed to look right through her. "You're looking for someone," she said. "Not here for a job." Her face remained impassive, and she tilted her head slightly as she examined Sakura further. "…If you're looking for a lover, I'm afraid I can't help you. Our clientele is private."

"Uh, no," Sakura said. She shifted her stance a little, leaning her weight on the other leg. She felt a bit uncomfortable under the woman's stare. "The guy I'm looking for wears a mask. He has something of mine, and I just want to get it back. Or talk to him. He mentioned something about a job…"

The blue-haired woman raised a thin eyebrow. "I see. Well, I'm not sure if I can help you. Such things are often kept in the shadows."

The odd phrase struck a chord with Sakura, and she furrowed her brow. She thought back to the curious card the masked thief had left her. Looking up at the taller woman, she said, a bit unsure, "…We are all shadows."

A small smirk made its way onto the blue-haired woman's face. "Follow me."

Sakura hesitantly followed the woman down the hall behind her. The soft music continued even though they were out of the main room. "I'm not a prostitute," Sakura said. "Just throwing that out there now."

"I didn't think you were," the older woman replied with ease. They reached the end of the hall. She opened a door and motioned for Sakura to enter.

Sakura did so. She found herself in an office of sorts. There was a desk in the center of the room, and behind it sat the same man from before. The mask still covered the lower portion of his face.

His olive green eyes locked onto Sakura's. "The pickpocket."

"Speak for yourself," Sakura returned.

"I speak for both of us," he said. "What's your name?"

"Sakura." She heard the door close behind her and jumped. A quick glance showed the blue-haired woman from before was gone. Sakura switched her gaze back to the man at the desk.

"Any family?"

"Um, no," Sakura said, frowning at the question. "You mentioned a job?"

"I mentioned _work_," he corrected. "If you have the stomach for it. My name is Kakuzu… and I represent a very _unique _set of individuals. From what I saw today, you have the potential to join us."

"You saw me cut someone's purse," Sakura said slowly. She tried to piece together the man's motives. "And then you stole that purse. So what, are you some kind of master pickpocket?"

He made a derisive snort, as if such a thing were beneath him. "Hardly, but I _do _have work for a rising thief like you. And if the state of your attire and family is anything to go by, you could probably use all the work you can get."

Sakura wasn't about to admit to anything, even if Kakuzu was right on the mark. "Why help me?"

"I'm not helping you," said Kakuzu. "I'm making an investment."

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Three years later, and Sakura found herself completely immersed in the Thieves' Guild. The life was rough, but it suited her just fine. It was thrilling, and even though the Guild got a percentage of what she brought in, she had a roof over her head, food in her stomach, and money in her purse. In addition to that, being with the Guild brought out a confidence in her that she never had when she was younger. It made for a nice change.

"Oh, I can't _wait_ for Carnevale," said Ino as she waved her fan toward her face. The summer heat was humid and sticky, a sign that rain was coming, but it didn't seem to dampen her spirits.

"Me too," Sakura admitted.

Ino was Sakura's favorite of the girls who worked at the brothel. While Konan, the blue-haired woman with eyes like liquid gold, was a high-ranking member of the Thieves' Guild, she was also the one in charge of the brothel. Ino may look like a beautiful flower, what with her blonde hair and pretty teal eyes, but Sakura knew for a fact she was as deadly as nightshade.

Heh… nothing was ever _completely_ what it seemed to be in this city.

"Parties and masks and all the booze you could ask for," Ino said, sounding wistful. "Of course, it's one of my busiest times. Still, I bet Konan will let me work the streets once in a while. Maybe I'll get lucky and get hired to walk around on some rich man's arm. Then I can actually _enjoy_ the festival."

Sakura frowned. "Doesn't that bother you?" she asked. "That you're stuck doing… your job?"

Ino tilted her head. "Not really. I make even more money than _you_ do. Of course, if you'd just—"

"No, not in a million years, not even if you paid me a hundred million florins," Sakura said, cutting off that.

The blonde gave a casual shrug of her shoulders. "This life isn't for everyone. I don't think I could do what _Sasori_ does, for example."

Sasori was an assassin that specialized in poisons. One that Sakura had worked with once. And only once. He'd tried to kill her, and she'd fended him off until his partner Deidara arrived and said Sakura wasn't the target. Sasori had seemed a bit miffed at the time that he'd been interrupted, and it left Sakura wondering if he'd known all along she wasn't his target.

Why a guild of _thieves_ needed an _assassin _was beyond her, but whatever.

"Neither could I," Sakura quietly agreed. She reached up her arms and stretched, watching idly while Ino cooed at passersby. "Any sign of him yet?"

"If you mean our mark, then no, but I did see Sasori walk by a while ago," Ino said. She glanced back at Sakura with a sly grin and asked, "Interested?"

Sakura felt her cheeks heat up, and she looked away. "No. Definitely no. Not unless I_—no._ I meant our mark, Pig-face."

Ino rolled her eyes. "I'm sure he'll see that massive forehead of yours and stroll right over to us." Her teal eyes locked with a man who was walking by, so she arched her back a little and smoldered at him. The man's eyes widened, and he tripped over his own feet. He scrambled up and scurried off, and Ino giggled ruthlessly at his expense.

Sakura's blush faded, and she chuckled a little while shaking her head. "You're terrible."

"I know," Ino said, still smirking. She caught sight of a young man around their age, and her eyebrows rose. "Hey, your target is from the Inuzuka family, right?"

"That's right," Sakura said. She sat up straight, suddenly on high alert. Her eyes roamed over the crowds of people, and she spotted him.

Kiba Inuzuka, heir to the Inuzuka family. It was easy to find him because of the family sigil on his clothing but also because members of the Inuzuka family tended to paint tribal markings on their faces. Kiba's came in the form of two triangles on his cheeks. He had a tendency to carry a lot of his family's money on him and wander into the more unsavory parts of the city (like this one). Konan passed the word onto Sakura, and Sakura promised to bring back everything he carried.

Sakura stood up with agile grace and casually strolled toward him. She kept her gaze over his shoulder, as if looking at something past him. As expected, Kiba paid her no heed and instead continued to look around at the various prostitutes trying to lure him over to them.

Right as Sakura brushed past Kiba, she slipped her hands into his jacket and withdrew a bag full of florins. She turned and giggled shamefully while apologizing. "Oh, I'm so clumsy! Sorry about that, sir."

Kiba grinned at her and said, "Oh, hey, no problem. Hey, are you one of the girls working here? 'Cause—" while he prattled on, Sakura's eyes honed in on an ornamental dagger he carried at his waist.

It was tempting. Not part of the job, but so, so tempting.

Sakura switched her eyes back to Kiba's face. She giggled again and playfully pushed his shoulder a little in a flirting gesture. "Oh, don't be silly. I'm just out for a stroll. But if I was, would you be interested?"

His grin widened to show a rather sharp set of canines. "Definitely."

"Too bad I'm not on the menu, then," she said. Sakura made a dramatic show of turning to walk away from him, and in the process, she snatched the dagger and hid it in her long sleeve while Kiba was distracted by the flash of cleavage and sway of her hips and didn't notice it missing.

"Tease!" Kiba scolded, still grinning as Sakura continued walking.

She didn't bother turning around. Her objective was fulfilled, but seeing as Kiba would probably be lingering around in the red light district a while, she was better off making herself scarce for a couple of hours. One good thing about being a pretty girl was that she was often underestimated. When Kiba figured out he'd been robbed, Sakura would probably be the last person he'd suspect. She'd seen it before enough times to know it to be true.

Sakura was a good thief, but she often ran into trouble. The source of that trouble wasn't any lack of skill on her part, but rather a lack of humility. Her ability left her with a certain pride that often times got in the way of better judgment. Such judgment led her to try to swipe Kiba Inuzuka's dagger, but this time it paid off, for now she had the dagger and Kiba was none the wiser.

Strolling down the streets of Venice was a rather boring way to pass the time for someone who'd lived there her whole life. The smell of dirty water and fish was pervasive, and the noise of the townsfolk was everywhere. It was a busy city, especially at this time of year. Many people were busy hanging streamers and decorative banners for Carnevale.

Sakura walked over to the edge of the canal and lifted up the ends of her long white dress. The tight red corset around it would have left weaker girls breathless, but local women were used to it. She sat down on the edge of the canal and slipped off her shoes. Then, she dipped her feet into the cool water.

While her toes made little splashes, she decided to examine the dagger she'd stolen off of Kiba earlier. It had its own specially made hilt with the crest of the Inuzuka family. That would make fencing the item difficult. Sakura wondered if she could convince one of her guildmates to sand it down or something.

She drew the dagger from the little sheath and turned it over in her hands a few times. The blade was sharp and pristine, but it was also clean and sparkling, which left her thinking it was more for show than battle. It probably hadn't cut much more than a wax seal—not that Kiba Inuzuka looked like he did much reading.

Still, if worse came to worse and she couldn't fence it because the dagger was too hot of an item, she supposed she could pop off the gems and maybe melt down some of the gold filigree. Or just keep it. It was an impressive score either way.

Little did she realize, the light glimmered off the shiny blade and shone into the eyes of a passing guard in full armor. He turned and raised the visor of his helm to better see her. "You there—girl. What is it you have there?"

On instinct, Sakura sheathed the dagger and held it behind her back. "Nothing," she said. "Just my father's old knife."

The guard made a derisive snort and said, "Your father, eh? I don't believe that for a second. Hand it over."

This was bad. Sakura got to her feet and held onto the sheathed dagger tightly. She lowered it to her side rather than behind her back, but she made no move toward the guard. "It's mine."

The guard was losing his patience. "Don't _lie _to me girl, or there will be hell to pay." He walked toward her at a frighteningly slow pace. His steel boots made clangs on the paved stone ground. "Hand over the dagger _now_."

"No," Sakura said stubbornly. For a moment, she debated throwing the dagger into the canal. There was a chance she'd never see it again, but at least she'd be able to escape the guard. Then again, if she held onto the dagger, she was pretty sure she'd be able to outrun the guard, especially since he was wearing such heavy armor.

The guard narrowed his eyes at her. He rested one hand on the hilt of his sword. "Give it here, then. If it's not stolen, then you don't have anything to worry about. But if I find out you stole that dagger—"

"I didn't steal it!" Sakura snapped.

"Then give it to me!" the guard demanded.

"No!"

The guard drew his sword and took another step toward her. Sakura took a step back. "I knew it," said the guard. "You stole it, didn't you? Do you know the penalty for thievery?"

Sakura's eyes darted around for an escape route. She didn't know the streets of Dosoduro quite as well as she knew the San Polo district, but she was pretty certain she could get away from him. The problem was getting around his sword arm without turning her back on him. And if he did manage to catch her, she really didn't like the idea of him using that sword to cut off one of her hands.

She took another step backward, and her back hit something warm. Sakura nearly jumped out of her skin, especially when she felt the stranger place a hand covered by a black glove on her shoulder. She heard his voice, and it froze her body in place.

"There you are," he said, the tone distinctly masculine. "Out playing with your dagger again? You'll attract the wrong sort of attention that way."

Sakura realized the stranger was covering for her. Even with her heart pounding, she took the opportunity. She plastered a fake smile onto her face and giggled into her free hand, the one that wasn't holding onto the dagger for dear life.

"Oh, you know me," she said. "It's just so pretty—I couldn't resist."

She took this opportunity to eye the newcomer, but to her dismay, his face was covered by a mask. That was typical of Carnevale, but the festival wouldn't even be official for another two days. The orange mask depicted a pattern like purple fire, unlike the usual Venetian masks she saw. The man had short, unruly black hair, but the lighting wouldn't allow her to see the color of his eyes, only that they were dark.

"_I'm sure_," the Masked Man said in a tone that made it seem like dealing with Sakura was a hassle he'd have to deal with before. His head turned in the direction of the guard, and he said, "Is there something I can help you with?"

The guard staggered a bit and managed a hasty salute with his sword still in hand. "Oh, I—um—" he quickly sheathed the sword and tried his salute again. "Lord Uchiha, sir, please forgive me. I thought the dagger was stolen."

_Uchiha_? Sakura's green eyes snapped back toward the stranger, and sure enough, she saw the crest of the Uchiha family on his clothing. The Uchiha family was one of the most prestigious. They were in charge of the city guard as well, which was likely why this guard was all but bending over for Sakura's timely rescuer.

"I appreciate your dedication, but not everyone is an enemy," the Masked Man said calmly. "You can relax and resume your duties."

"Yes, sir!" The guard scurried off, and Sakura watched him leave with an expression of irritated distaste. Oh well—at least he was gone. That was one potentially bad situation well-avoided.

Speaking of…

"Thank you," Sakura said. She pulled herself out of the man's personal space and turned to thank him face-to-face. Granted, that was a little difficult while he wore a mask, but maybe he'd take it off for politeness. "Really, I appreciate you stepping in when you did."

Her rescuer lowered his gloved hands to his sides and regarded Sakura, though his expression was indiscernible with that fire-patterned mask over his face. "It was no trouble… but if you don't mind me asking, who did you steal that from?"

Sakura's cheeks heated up a bit. "I didn't steal it!" she said automatically.

There was a pause, and Sakura was _positive_ he was making a very skeptical face at her behind that stupid mask. "…Right. It wasn't an Uchiha was it?"

"Why?" Sakura asked. "Going to change your mind and turn me in?"

He must have sensed the slight animosity, for he held up both of his hands partway in a motion of surrender. "No, nothing like that. Just warning you that most people in my family are far more likely to hold a grudge. I'd keep that hidden, if I were you."

"It's mine," Sakura said.

"Of course. You certainly _look_ like someone who would own a dagger like that."

Sakura's eyes narrowed at him. "Is there something _wrong _with the way I look?"

The Masked Man lowered his arms again and made an amused sound in the back of his throat. "There's no _winning_ with you, is there? Very well, forgive my intrusion." He bent down at the waist in a bow that seemed more like a teasing gesture. "Farewell, my lady."

While Sakura obviously wasn't a noble lady by any means, she couldn't help but feel a little… flattered. Compliments like that were hard to come by, even if they were just in passing. "Wait," she said quickly. She mulled over her words for a moment, unsure. "…May I see your face?"

"No."

The quick, blunt refusal made Sakura stagger on her feet. She straightened back up and gaped at the Masked Man. "Seriously? You know Carnevale isn't for a couple more days, right?"

He gave a simple shrug. "I like masks."

No one likes masks. The only other person Sakura knew who wore a mask all the time was Kakuzu, and that was to conceal the stitches around his mouth. So this guy was probably hiding something, too. That being the case, she supposed it would be very rude of her to make him feel uncomfortable, especially since he did rescue her (not that she needed it).

"Okay," she said. "I guess that's fair. But can I know the name of my rescuer? I'm Sakura."

"…You can call me Tobi," he said carefully.

Sakura frowned. "That's not even your real name, is it?"

"No," he cheerfully replied.

She scowled at him. "If you're not going to take me seriously, then you can just leave."

His shoulders shook a little with his soft chuckle. "Sorry. You're very easy to rile up… Sakura."

For some reason, the way he said her name made a lump rise in her throat. She swallowed it down and shifted a little on her feet, unsure of what else to say. "Well… thanks again."

"Goodbye, Sakura."

"Goodbye… Tobi."

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Sakura hastily returned to the Red Moon brothel and found Ino waiting for her. Ino's long blonde hair was down and beautifully curled at the ends rather than her usual straight style. She was actually from one of the prestigious families of Venice, the Yamanaka family, but for some reason, she was here. Sakura didn't pry into Ino's past. It was an unspoken rule that if a Guild member didn't offer, you didn't ask.

"There you are," Ino said. "What happened with dog boy?" The crest of the Inuzuka family was a dog, and the family was pretty well known as dog breeders. Even the Pope's pet dog was a gift from the Inuzuka's kennels.

Sakura reached into her dress and withdrew the purse of florins she'd cut off of Kiba Inuzuka earlier. "Hardly a challenge," she said. "Are you working?"

"Not for the rest of the night," Ino replied. "I'll walk with you to give that to Kakuzu."

"Okay."

Kakuzu was not only a professional thief in the Guild but also the financial manager. Any loot was turned in to him. A cut went to the guild and the rest went to the thief. Every member was expected to reach a certain quota every month, too, to retain membership. And membership, naturally, had many perks. One of those perks was access to Thieves' Guild fences. Hopefully Kiba Inuzuka's dagger wouldn't be too hot to sell to one of them.

They walked down the long hallway to the room at the end, which was Kakuzu's office. The Red Moon was one of the larger brothels in San Polo, and quite popular. As it was also the secret headquarters of the Thieves' Guild, there were a few hidden places underneath the brothel itself that held residency for some members as well as a meeting room, storage, and other such things. It was where the reclusive leader, Pein, spent most of his time.

Sakura knocked on the door. At Kakuzu's confirmation, she and Ino headed inside. Sakura smiled at her favorite miser as she dropped the bag of florins on his desk. "There you go, everything off of Kiba Inuzuka, as promised. Oh, and this, too." She placed the ornate dagger down next to the purse.

Kakuzu was a very no-nonsense man with few facial expressions apart from stoic and irritated. Getting him to look happy was next to impossible, but the closest Sakura had ever managed was a nice bit of pleased approval. She liked to think she was one of the only people Kakuzu graced with that expression, and when she saw it, she always felt like she really earned it.

"Oh?" he said, his voice hardly muffled by the mask over the lower portion of his face. "And what's this?"

Kakuzu picked up the dagger and examined it closely while Sakura spoke, "I couldn't resist. It was shiny."

He made a brief amused sound in the back of his throat and unsheathed the dagger. His inspection was a lot quicker and more methodical than Sakura's roaming gaze by the canals had been. Kakuzu sheathed the blade and set it down on the desk. He tapped the Inuzuka crest near the guard with his index finger. "Fencing it with that is going to be a nuisance."

Sakura's shoulders slumped a little. "Well, yeah, but it's still really nice. I mean, we must have _someone_ who will buy it."

"Perhaps," Kakuzu agreed. "I'll look into it." He reached for the cut purse and spilled out the coins from inside. Sakura watched as Kakuzu split apart the prize and shoved some of the florins toward her. "This should tide you over for now. I'll let you know if I find a fence for the dagger."

Ino sounded unsure when she said, "I don't know, Kakuzu. It might be too hot. We'll probably have to hold onto it for a while. Especially if that dog boy reports it stolen."

Kakuzu considered that. "Did he get a good look at you?"

Sakura bit her lip and averted her gaze. "Yeah, he did." She switched her eyes back to Kakuzu and spoke quickly. "But I don't think he'd suspect me. He completely underestimated me."

"Don't assume," Kakuzu said. "_You're _underestimating _him _if you think he wouldn't suspect you." Sakura looked worried, and Kakuzu continued, "I'm not saying he does. He's probably an idiot. But don't let your pride cloud your judgment. You can never be too careful."

Ino giggled at him. "Being careful is probably how you've lasted so long in this business, isn't it, old man?"

Kakuzu's eyes narrowed. "Watch it, brat."

She laughed melodically once more and said, "You know I'm only teasing."

"I'll be careful, Kakuzu," Sakura quickly intervened.

He nodded, apparently satisfied. "See that you do."

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**TK:** And there's chapter one! Let me know if you'd like some more. In the meantime, I want to have a little discussion, and it'd be swell if you all joined in in your reviews.

**Today's topic**: Kaguya

Okay, so when this demon chick appeared, I was not happy. I thought Madara was a pretty swankified villain. I mean, he'd been around for ages, he had motive, we recognized him—it made sense. And then it's like, hey, just kidding guys, it's actually this chick we've heard about like, twice, who should be dead eighty times over but is somehow back. Oh, and the Sage of Six Paths had a brother, a.k.a. Black Zetsu. Surprise!

I say nay. I like having a consistent villain (like Voldemort), not someone who appears looking like a last minute decision. I like character depth and personality, and she has like, none—probably because she _just _appeared during the final battle.

What are your thoughts? Do you think it was a stupid move to bring her in? Or do you like the idea of her as the final boss fight rather than Madara? Or do you think it was an okay move, just poorly executed? Give me your thoughts and opinions, 'cause I'd love to hear them.


	2. Dream

_**TK**_: Heh-heh, so funny story, the first chapter actually has a mistake, albeit minor. When Sakura steals the dagger off of Kiba, she "puts it up her sleeve". How d'you suppose she's doing that without sleeves? Oh well! Nobody complained, so I'm just going to roll with it.

I'm actually surprised and super stoked about the positive response I've gotten for this so far. Thank you for the nice reviews, guys! It's thanks to you that this chapter is finished and posted so early. I hope you enjoy it! Next chapter I plan on writing a bit from Obito's perspective, but hopefully this will tide you over.

_**2014 Naruto One-Shot Challenge**_**! See details on my profile.**

**[Summary: **ObiSaku. After being rescued by a Masked Man, Sakura makes it her mission to discover his identity—even if it means sneaking into the ballroom during Carnevale. AU.**]**

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_**Carnevale**_

_TK Grimm_

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**Chapter Two:**

**Dream**

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Sakura said a quick goodbye to Kakuzu and left the office with Ino. The two of them headed back down the hall, but this time, they stopped midway at a painting of a thunderstorm. Ino put her hand on the side of the painting, as if she were about to take it off the wall, but instead, she pulled it open like a door. Behind the painting was a narrow passageway.

Sakura stepped inside first, and Ino followed her. The painting swung closed behind them. The passageway was a set of stone stairs lit by torches that went downward. At the bottom, it opened up into a bar. A blonde man sat at one of the stools with his long hair pulled up into a ponytail. Some of his bangs fell in his face and covered his left eye. While Sakura was tempted to go say hi to Deidara, she had a question for Ino first.

Ino was already walking over to him, so Sakura grabbed her arm and said, "This way."

The bar was the first room in the lower chambers beneath the Red Moon brothel. It made for a nice cover should anyone discover the painting door. It was just a bar, easily disguised as a secret gambling den, not a guild of thieves. Beyond that was a hallway that led to the rest of the hideout.

Sakura wandered to the corner of the bar and sat down at a table. Ino joined her there and sat down in a chair opposite Sakura. There was a candle lit between the two of them on the tiny, circular table, and it offered just enough light for them to see each other perfectly.

"Say, Ino," Sakura asked. "Do you know anyone named Tobi?"

Ino tilted her head to the side curiously. "Tobi?"

"An Uchiha," Sakura said.

"Hm… no, not that I can recall," Ino replied. "Why?"

"Well…" Sakura trailed off for a moment. While Ino was a very loyal friend, she was also a bit of a notorious gossip and would probably make the situation out to be a lot more than it actually was. Then again, Sakura didn't really have anyone else she could talk to about it, and she really wanted to.

"I left that life when I was fifteen or so," Ino began, "so I never really met many people from that family. I did meet one, though. He was the son of the current head. His name is Sasuke. He was… heh…" Ino's smile turned a little wistful. "Well, the pretty ones are always jerks."

"Was he your first love?" Sakura asked. She didn't know who this 'Sasuke' person was, but if he'd been cruel to Ino, he was already on Sakura's bad side.

"You know, I don't think I fully understand what love really is yet," Ino said, still smiling.

Sakura returned her smile. "That statement is a bit more wise than it implies."

"Heh." Ino's expression changed from wistful to curious, and she said, "So tell me about your Uchiha. Start from the beginning."

"Okay, well… so that dagger I stole from Kiba Inuzuka?" When Ino nodded in confirmation, Sakura continued. "I was in the Dorsoduro district, by the canals, when suddenly this guard decided to randomly check if I was a thief. He kept demanding to see the dagger, and I knew if he saw the stupid crest on it, he'd know it was stolen."

"Oh, shit," Ino said, suddenly growing serious. "Tell me you didn't stick around. You're better at wall-climbing than half the Guild. The guy was in armor, wasn't he?"

"He was, but it was a pretty wide-open area," said Sakura. "I was looking for an escape route when all of a sudden, this guy shows up and covers for me. He acted like he knew me and confirmed the dagger was mine, and he sent the guard away."

Ino's eyebrows rose. "I _see_. So this rescuer of yours was an Uchiha? That makes sense, since they pretty much _own _the city guard."

"I thought the same thing," Sakura agreed. "But he was wearing a mask, so I couldn't see his face, and he wouldn't take it off. He didn't even give me his real name—he just said to call him _Tobi_."

Ino made a noise that sounded like a mixture between a squeal and a moan of delight. "This is so _awesome_. You have a mystery admirer. Oh, Forehead, I'm so _jealous_!"

Sakura's face heated up. "It's not like that!" she said amidst her blushing. "At least, I don't think so. He would have shown me his face if he was interested, wouldn't he?"

"Maybe he's shy," Ino said. "Did he say anything about seeing you again?"

"Um, no, I kinda just thanked him and we went our separate ways."

Ino groaned in despair at that. "Seriously? That was a perfect opportunity for you to say something like, 'Oh, my hero! Let me at least offer you a token of my appreciation' or something."

Sakura's blush intensified. "It wasn't like that at all! I think he was just being nice. Or taking pity on me. I don't know. It… it doesn't really matter anyway. It's not like I'll ever see him again."

"Except that you _want _to see him again, or you wouldn't have asked me if I knew him," Ino said slyly.

"That was just—I was—" her shoulders slumped a little. "It's just curiosity, okay? He's a puzzle I want to solve. And maybe a possible mark."

Ino snorted with laughter and said, "Trust you to be the one girl who mixes up flirting with a guy and robbing him. Well, he's an Uchiha, so he probably carries quite a few florins. I won't tell Kakuzu if you don't."

"Really?" Sakura said.

"Of course—on the condition that you at least _try _to get laid."

"_Ino_!"

* * *

暁 **TK Grimm** 暁

* * *

Ino's silly condition aside (which Sakura was going to ignore), the obvious thing to do here would be to retrace her footsteps the following day. Since Sakura encountered Tobi in the Dorsoduro district, perhaps she would find him there again. Most of the nice estates were in the Cannaregio and Castello districts, but Sakura probably wouldn't get far there before she was sent packing by those rich snobs in their high class families.

Dorsoduro was the southern section of Venice. Like the rest of the city, it was split apart with many small rivers that served as roads and well-paved streets and bridges in between. It was on the same western half of Venice as San Polo and didn't require crossing the Canal Grande, which split the island city into two halves.

The docks of Dorsoduro gave a nice view of the Mediterranean Sea. While the rivers going through Venice weren't exactly _dirty_, they didn't quite have the same sparkle at this large sea did. As Sakura walked down the street with the sea on her right, she couldn't help but gaze at it with wistful contemplation.

There were other places out there, far away from Venice. If she were to leave, could she be someone else? Would she be a street rat there as well, or could she make a name for herself and be something more? Or… would the life of a thief always call to her? Well, the Guild would always be there, and that, she supposed, was better than being alone.

It was during her musing that Sakura accidentally bumped into someone. She stumbled a bit and fell onto her backside with a yelp. A pain in her hand told her she'd managed to scrape it on the pavement as well.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" said the woman Sakura had bumped into. "I wasn't looking where I was going."

"Neither was I," Sakura admitted. She stood up and brushed herself off with her uninjured hand. "Sorry about that."

The woman smiled a bit sheepishly. "Well, if we both weren't paying attention, then it's nobody's fault."

Sakura chuckled in agreement at that and looked at the woman in front of her. She had straight, chin-length brown hair and pretty, chocolate-colored doe eyes. There was a certain kindness that radiated off of her that was… well, rare, to say the least.

"Oh, your hand!" the woman exclaimed. "Here, let me help you."

"That's really not ne—"

"Please, I insisted," she said. "I'm a doctor. I can help. My name's Rin, by the way." She reached out and took Sakura's unhurt hand and started pulling her alone, leading her like a child. Sakura was pretty sure Rin was a few years older than her, but it still felt… strange. She hadn't been tugged along like this since she was a little girl. It left her feeling a bit nostalgic.

"What's your name?" Rin asked.

"Oh, um… Sakura."

Rin glanced back at her with a gentle smile. "That's a pretty name," she told her. She switched her gaze back to the front and led Sakura toward a building on the north side of the district. It was on the corner between the southern docks and the Canal Grande and looked to be a small clinic.

"You really don't have to…" Sakura trailed off.

"I don't mind, really," Rin assured her as she brought Sakura inside. "You have such pretty hands. I'd hate for them to scar or get infected. Please, have a seat here."

Sakura sat down in a small chair and watched as Rin prepared a tray of some sort of medicine and a clean cloth. When Rin sat down across from her, she asked for Sakura's hand, and Sakura hesitantly offered it. Her hand was still bleeding, and the sting was painful.

"This is going to hurt a bit, but I have to clean the wound," Rin warned her. Sakura braced herself, and Rin slowly poured the antiseptic over the scrape on Sakura's palm. It did sting—a lot—but Sakura merely winced. Her acrobatic training with the Thieves' Guild had gifted her with many more painful injuries than a small scrape.

"I don't think I've seen you before," Rin said. "Do you live here in Dorsoduro?"

"No, I live in San Polo," Sakura said.

"Ah, okay." Rin began carefully wrapping Sakura's hand in a long, thin, white bandage. "You should probably change the dressing on this tomorrow, and by the end of the week, it will be almost unnoticeable. It's a shame it had to happen right before Carnevale, though."

Sakura shrugged. "It's just a hand."

Rin smiled as she worked. "Our hands are our livelihoods. You should take care of them."

She had a good point. Sakura watched Rin while she worked and found herself relaxing in the other woman's presence. "How long have you been a doctor?"

"For a few years," Rin told her. "After my parents passed away when I was a little girl, I trained under Lady Tsunade Senju."

Sakura's eyes widened. "The Doge's _daughter_?"

Rin nodded. "This is one of the clinics she opened up throughout the city. Lady Tsunade left me in charge of it, but she checks in from time to time. I'll always be grateful to her for teaching me how to heal. This is what I was meant to do."

A strange bit of… envy, rose in Sakura. Rin was probably from a nice, normal family, and she was trained by someone who was practically royalty in Venice. Now, she was a doctor, doing something she was obviously very passionate about—something she loved.

"What do you do, Sakura?" Rin asked politely. "Do you have a dream?"

"I…" Sakura trailed off, unsure. Did she? That envy rose up again, and Sakura mentally put herself in Rin's shoes. If she had trained under Tsunade Senju and learned to become a doctor, would she feel the same happiness that Rin's life was apparently filled with? Could she see herself healing?

Strangely enough, she could. She imagined helping people rather than stealing from them. But… that would have been another life. Another set of circumstances. With her current lot, living at the brothel and stealing for the Guild was about a good as it got.

But was it where she belonged?

"…I'm just living it day by day for now," Sakura said when Rin finished wrapping the palm. The bandage looked like a fingerless white glove, but Sakura didn't mind. Her pain was soothed, and she knew it would heal a lot faster with Rin's medical care.

Rin's smile turned a little sympathetic. "That's okay. That just means you have to find a dream."

"A dream?"

"Well, sure," Rin said. "Something you want more than anything. Something worth fighting for."

"Did you have to fight to become a doctor?" Sakura asked skeptically.

Rin chuckled. "Of course. Well, not literally, but I had to work really hard. Lady Tsunade didn't leave me in charge of this clinic on a whim."

"I guess that's something to be proud of," Sakura said. She sighed and leaned back a little to look up at the ceiling. "I just don't know what I want."

"That's okay," Rin said. "You look pretty young. You have your whole life ahead of you."

"I'm nineteen," Sakura said.

"Well, I'm only twenty-six. But achieving my dream is the best thing that's ever happened to me. And now, I get to pursue my new dream." She looked away with a light blush adorning her cheeks. There was a brief pause before Rin finally returned her brown eyes back to Sakura. "Just remember that the best dream is something that brings you happiness. So think about what makes you happy. Dreams make moving forward in life possible."

Sakura nodded thoughtfully. "Okay. Thank you, Rin."

"You're welcome. I hope I see you again sometime, Sakura."

"Yeah, me too."

Sakura left the clinic feeling more pensive than she had when she was gazing at the sea. Rin was… like her, in a way. Neither of them came from prestigious, important families, but they both lived their lives in very different ways. Sometimes, Sakura blamed her circumstances on her parents' deaths. But there Rin was with no parents either, and she'd actually made something of herself.

When Sakura looked in the mirror, she saw a nobody. Sure, she was a talented thief and was proud of her abilities and achievements. But when Rin looked in the mirror… she probably saw someone worth while. What if that had been Sakura? If Sakura had trained under a legendary doctor and followed in her footsteps? What if Sakura found a dream and followed it, fought for it, and achieved it?

Is that what it meant to be happy?

Lost in her thoughts, Sakura nearly missed the very person she'd come to Dorsoduro to hopefully find. And yet, there he was. Tobi, the Masked Man from yesterday, was standing outside the clinic sitting on a bench and staring up at the sky. He still wore the orange Venetian mask with the purple, flame-patterned filigree.

"What are _you _doing here?" she blurted, voicing her thoughts.

Tobi turned his head toward her and said, "How nosy of you."

Sakura's cheeks turned a little pink, and she huffed. "Well, I didn't expect to step out of the clinic and see you, okay? I was just wondering." She suddenly felt apprehensive. "You're not following me or anything, are you?" The fact that she'd actually come here looking for him seemed insignificant now.

He snorted, though it was a bit muffled by the mask. "No. I was just checking on a friend. So what are _you_ doing here? Stealing from doctors now?"

Sakura's blush intensified. "I didn't steal anything!" she snapped.

Tobi chuckled a little and said, "I believe you."

"Oh," Sakura said, deflating a little. "Alright then." It was quiet between them, and she shifted on her feet. She wasn't sure why, but she felt awkward, like a teenage girl stumbling around her words to a boy. "So… what are you up to right now? Want to go for a walk?"

Sakura watched as Tobi's gaze briefly went to the clinic and then back to her. She thought he was going to refuse. "…Alright," he said, surprising her. "I have a little time. I suppose we can walk for a while."

Sakura rolled her eyes at him. "How generous of you."

"It's been known to happen from time to time," Tobi replied.

"Really?" Sakura mused as Tobi stood up from the bench. "And here I thought all Uchihas were rich snobs with sticks up their asses."

She'd been testing him to see if he'd get offended by such a comment, but to her surprise, Tobi actually laughed. "Oh, they are," he said. "Which is probably why I've never really fit in with my family."

Despite the light tone of the conversation, Sakura's instincts felt a bit on edge. She got the distinct impression that this was not a good subject of conversation, and she should probably avoid it if at all possible. And so, she gestured to the south and said, "Let's walk by the sea. Then I at least have something pretty to look at."

"Most women carry mirrors for that sort of thing." Tobi matched Sakura's pace, and the two of them headed back toward the docks of Dorsoduro.

"Really?" Sakura asked. "You'd think there'd be more cases of shattered mirrors, then."

He laughed again, and Sakura found herself grinning in victory. "You're pretty amusing."

"I try."

As Sakura walked by his side, she couldn't help but glance over and up at his profile. The Venetian mask obscured his face from view, but his unruly black hair looked soft to the touch, if a bit messy. As a commoner (and orphan), Sakura never really had any interaction with anyone from a prestigious family (unless she was robbing them). She wasn't quite sure how to talk to Tobi, if there was a special protocol she was supposed to follow or anything.

And so, she simply blurted out the first thing that came to mind. "So why do you wear a mask?"

To her delight, Tobi apparently decided to roll with it. "I find it makes me more mysterious," he replied.

Sakura frowned, unsatisfied with that answer. "Well, what do you look like under there? Are you terribly ugly? Because I wouldn't mind if you were. I don't judge." She worked directly under _Kakuzu,_ after all, and she liked him no matter what the old miser looked like.

"Oh, don't you?" Tobi drawled. "Well, I'm terribly self-conscious either way, so I'm afraid you'll just have to linger in suspense."

So he wasn't going to indulge her. "…Damn it."

They continued their walk in comfortable silence. The waves crashed against the harbor, breaking up the sounds of the labor workers. A ship was being unloaded nearby. There were also many people busy hanging up decorations for Carnevale. It was a very colorful time of year, and a good bit of fun that Sakura looked forward to every summer.

"Hey… Tobi," Sakura said, suddenly a little pensive. "…Do you have a dream?"

He glanced down at her, seemingly curious. "A dream? Like a goal?"

She nodded. "Something important to you… that you want to achieve."

Sakura heard him take a deep breath and exhale slowly, probably contemplating his answer. "I used to. When I was younger, I wanted to be Doge of Venice. But… I suppose all children grow up eventually."

"So… you gave up on your dream?"

"…I guess I did."

For some reason, that didn't sit well with Sakura. It just felt so… hopeless coming from him. She got the feeling that some part of him had been broken, and he hadn't quite found all the pieces yet. There was more to "Tobi" than _just another Uchiha_. But everyone about him, from his face to his past, was a complete mystery to her.

"What about you?" Tobi asked her. "Do you have a dream?"

Sakura hummed and folded her hands behind her back. "I don't think so… but I'm still thinking about it. My life just seems so… I don't know, unfocused. Like I'm lacking direction or something. I feel like there's more out there, something I could be doing, I just… don't know what. This girl I met today, Rin, she said dreams make moving forward in life possible. Well, it made me think… that maybe I've not been moving forward at all. Maybe I've just been standing still while the rest of the world continues on without me."

Tobi gave an amused chuckle and then said, "You're a bit young for a midlife crisis, aren't you?"

"I'm nineteen," she quipped, waving her hand in dismissal. "And that's not the point! Man, you're hard to talk to. I go and pour my guts out in front of you like that, and all you do is tell me I'm too young to think about it."

The chuckle came again, a comfortable, low rumble that made Sakura have to bite down her smile. If she stood there grinning like an idiot while Tobi was having a laugh at her expense, he'd never take her seriously.

"Sorry, Sakura," he said, clearly amused. "So you want a dream you can work toward?"

"Well, I don't know," Sakura said. "Honestly, I think I just want some guidance. My life is pretty… day by day. With no real end goal in mind, I can't help but wonder… what is it all for? Do I even have a purpose?"

"My friend told me that everyone has a purpose," Tobi said quietly. "That sometimes it may not be obvious or it may not be grand-scale like saving the world, but it doesn't need to be. She said… we _are_ here, so we need to make the most of it and do what we can."

Sakura looked up at him, surprised. "You sound like you really admire her."

"Always…" The way he said that, so raw and full of emotion, made Sakura's heart squeeze. She wondered if maybe Tobi was in love with this friend of his. Was that was love sounded like? It sounded it like hurt.

"That's a nice sentiment though," Sakura said.

"If you believe it."

She looked at him again. "You don't?"

Tobi shook his head. "I haven't for a long time. But I let her believe it. Whatever makes her happy."

"It kinda sounds like you're in love with her."

"That doesn't matter," Tobi said dismissively. "She is in love with someone else."

_Ouch_. Sakura didn't personally have any experience with unrequited love, but any idiot knew that it was painful. Hell, in the middle of the Italian Renaissance, love was pretty much all anyone talked about. Well, love and art, anyway.

Still… a part of Sakura wanted to reach out to Tobi, to help him. He was hurting, and even though she didn't know him very well, she wanted to try to make it go away, if only for just a short while.

"Say," she began, "are you going to Carnevale?"

Just like that, the depressing air was lifted, and Tobi actually shot her a 'duh' look that she caught even with his stupid mask.

Sakura ignored it in favor of continuing. "Maybe I'll see you there, then. I can show you my mad skills at festival games."

"Those things are all rigged," Tobi said.

"Not all of them!" Sakura insisted. "I'm actually really good at them. What do you say?"

"I might see you there. But I'll have to spend most of the time with my family, and go to the Doge's ball. Carnevale is as much political for the noble class as it is entertainment for the rest." They stopped walking, and Sakura realized they'd reached the end of the dock. "Sakura," he said, drawing her attention up to him. "Don't worry too much about your dream. It's just… another thing that can be taken from you." He looked down at her and said, "There's a light in you, and I'd hate to see it extinguished should your dream not come true."

Surprise spread over Sakura's face, and her lips parted for a moment. She furrowed her brow with concern, wondering if perhaps Tobi was a bit more broken than she'd realized. Suddenly, her various troubles were looking minor in comparison to the weight that he seemed to be carrying. She wanted him to share, she wished he would, but like with the mystery of his identity, he probably wouldn't share.

"Well… maybe I just won't give up as easily as you," she said. Sakura attempted to smile at him. "Who knows; you could become Doge. Or you could find a different dream and pursue that. It's only been a few hours, though, so _I've_ got plenty of time to decide on one. And when I do, I'll achieve it."

He seemed surprised for a moment before he made an amused sound and shook his head. "Very well. I'm sure we'll meet again sometime… Sakura."

"Oh, I'll make sure of it." Sakura yawned and made a rather obnoxious gesture of stretching, and in the process, she snatched Tobi's coin purse. In less than a second, however, he had her by the wrist with her fingers still wrapped around the small leather sack. Sakura's eyes widened. "H-how did you…?"

Tobi tsked at her, as if scolding a child. "Those sticky fingers of yours are going to get you in trouble one of these days." He took the small purse back and pocketed it, still eyeing Sakura with an expression that was unreadable because of his mask. "You'll have to have quicker fingers than that to pickpocket me."

When it became clear that he wasn't offended (or going to turn her over to the guards), Sakura huffed and folded her arms across her chest. "I was just going to borrow it. I was going to give it back when I saw you at Carnevale."

"Oh really?" he asked, clearly not believing her.

"I was!" Sakura insisted. "It was just to make sure you actually _did _find me during Carnevale. But fine, I see how it is."

"Are you actually _offended_ I caught you trying to rob me?" Tobi asked in disbelief.

Sakura blushed a little and said, "No! I wasn't robbing you! I said I was borrowing it!"

"Sure you were. I'm going to have to watch myself around you, aren't I?

"Please, as if you have anything of real value," Sakura said. "Though I might try to steal that mask one of these days."

"You're welcome to try," Tobi said, sounding amused once more.

"Maybe I will!"

* * *

暁 **TK Grimm** 暁

* * *

**TK:** Up for another discussion?

**Today's topic**: Obito Uchiha as a "Bad Guy"

So, back before Tobi was "revealed" to be Madara, I was one of those hardcore, "Omg, Tobi is totally Obito with amnesia or something, guys!" And then he's all, "I'm Uchiha Madara," and I think the rest of the world was with me when I said, "What the fuck?"

But fine, y'know, whatever, I can deal. Then Kishi goes and like, I don't know, changes his mind or some shit and, "Oh, hey, jk guys, it's actually Obito! I fooled you again!" Yeah, yeah, fuck you, bro, we knew from the start that it was Obito, and you're just an ass. Go back to writing women poorly.

But like, when it turns out Obito's memories are fucked up, and he's actually gone all Anakin Skywalker on us, I was honestly Pissed. Off. Back in the days of Kakashi Gaiden (or Chronicles, or whatever you want to call it), I thought Obito was the coolest kid on the block (save for Minato, but who _didn't_ have a crush on that man? Seriously. Kudos to Kushina for nabbing him off the market).

Anyway, so Kishi goes and makes Obito "evil", and I'm just like, what the _actual_ fuck? How dare you go and insult the memory of one of the greatest heroes in the entire series? And all that shit with Rin and then Madara turns out to be the mastermind who orchestrated the whole thing, and it's just, god damn, hasn't that poor boy suffered enough? But yeah, point being, I was super pissed, because Obito was like, _epic_, and by vilifying him, Kishi just totally… I don't even know.

I'm still a bit miffed about it. Probably because I _still _don't fully get Obito's "reasoning". I mean, forgive me for this, but I don't think, "I'm going to make an illusion world where everybody is happy!" is enough to justify someone as pro-friendship as Obito into attacking Minato and Kushina on the day of Naruto's _birth_ and being all cold-hearted and shit. I mean, that's what, like, maybe a year later, maybe two? I don't care how good at Dark-Side-no-Jutsu Madara is, that's just stupid.

And yet, despite all of that, he's grown on me. That's right, Tragic-Hero-Obito made me stop and consider that maybe it wasn't an _awful _idea (just poorly executed), and that I suppose it's not so bad. It's probably because I am admittedly very attracted to power (shameful, I know), but there you have it. Least I'm honest about it. Still, it's not how _**I **_would have written it, but hell, if I were writing the series, a lot of things would be changed.

So what are your thoughts? Join in the discussion in your reviews and I'll respond with that cute little Reply button.


	3. Heist

_**TK**_: So, I know I promised some Obito POV and I'm ashamed to admit I failed to deliver. I just had a great idea in the shower the other day to squeeze in a heist just for fillery fun-ness (and it ended up having something pretty important happen after all, so it works out). There's even a few Assassin's Creed elements I got to play with toward the end, too. I even threw in a smidgen of ObiSaku at the end for you, just to whet your appetites.

I feel like Game of Thrones how they spent several seasons saying "Winter is Coming" and we're still waiting for it. I titled this story Carnevale and we haven't even made it to Carnevale yet. XD Sorry guys. It _is _coming, though. This is the night before Carnevale, so it'll be next chapter, for sure. Enjoy some Thieves' Guild excitement in the meantime!

_**Hey you! Come participate in the 2014 Naruto**__** One-Shot contest! See my profile!**_

**[**ObiSaku. After being rescued by a Masked Man, Sakura makes it her mission to discover his identity—even if it means sneaking into the ballroom during Carnevale. AU.**]**

* * *

_**Carnevale**_

_TK Grimm_

* * *

**Chapter Three:**

** Heist**

* * *

The leader of the Thieves' Guild was the reclusive, slightly stoic Pein. While Konan did most of his representation herself, he did address the more core members of the Guild personally. That list of core members included Sakura, for she'd met with Pein on a few occasions, usually when being given a rather important heist.

Pein was a tall man with unruly, spiky orange hair and ringed silver eyes. While they were a bit unusual, odd eyes weren't completely uncommon in Venice. The more uncommon trait of Pein was his wide variety of piercings on his face and presumably throughout his body. He had several in his nose and ears and two in his lower lip. Piercings weren't a common thing in the Italian Renaissance, but theirs wasn't a common Guild, either.

"As you may have guessed," Pein began, "I have an important job for the three of you that needs to be done tonight."

Sakura glanced to her left at Deidara and Sasori, the two that she would be working with. They were both high-ranking members of the Thieves Guild. Deidara was a demolitions expert and Sasori was an assassin who specialized in poisons. Their day job, however, was a pair of artists—a common yet prosperous trade for this era and city.

Deidara had long blonde hair like Ino, and it tended to cover his left eye even when he kept most of it pulled up in a ponytail. He had blue eyes like the sky and like Sasori, he was truly passionate about his art, despite art being his cover. Sasori, on the other hand, had short red hair that curled a little at the ends. His honey-brown eyes didn't quite have the light in them that Deidara's did, but he had a certain wisdom about him that Sakura didn't want to ever underestimate.

She'd only worked with the two of them once before, and they spent the majority of the time either laughing maniacally at the chaos they left in their wake or bickering back and forth about art. The prospect of working with them again sounded both amusing and like an impending headache.

Pein continued his briefing. "The Doge's brother, Tobirama Senju, has sent for a rather large ruby, approximately 348 carats, to be delivered to his brother the night before Carnevale, which, as you are no doubt aware, is tonight. It's being shipped all the way from Florence and should be in the city soon. Unfortunately for our Doge, it won't be making it to its destination."

Deidara chuckled darkly at that. "Sounds easy enough… yeah."

The only other person in the room was Konan, and she stood at Pein's side with a calm, collected air about her. At Deidara's outward confidence, she merely raised a thin blue eyebrow and said, "Don't be so sure. It's currently on a caravan being escorted by twenty armored guards. If it were just a messenger, any of our trusted Guild members could pull it off."

"We'll need a distraction," Sasori said. The reason Deidara was present was suddenly quite clear. "They're going to know the moment the ruby is missing."

"Unfortunately, that can't be avoided," Pein confirmed. "Even with Sakura's acrobatics, her hair makes her recognizable, and this can't be traced back to the Red Moon. And even with her abilities, I doubt she would be able to take on twenty armed guards."

"Thanks guys," Sakura drawled. It was true, though. She was a pickpocket and an acrobat, not a fighter. "So that's what Sasori's here for then?"

Sasori, being the genius that he apparently was, had already figured out Pein's plan, apparently. "Even I would have trouble taking on twenty guards in full armor at the same time. Deidara's distraction will likely draw at least half of them away, perhaps more. While I deal with the remaining guards, it will be up to you to secure the ruby. Is that right, Leader?"

Pein nodded once, his face lighting up in a rare smirk. "Astute as always, Sasori."

Konan leaned down over the desk between the two parties and pointed at a spot on the map in the Dorsoduro district. "This is where you will rendezvous with Kakuzu, and he will take the ruby from there."

"After that," said Pein, "the three of you are to split up and make your way back to the Red Moon separately. Ensure that you are not seen or followed. Do you understand?"

Sakura nodded. "Of course. But I do have a question—if we happen to find anything else in the caravan…"

Konan smiled at her, pleased with the question. "Consider it a bonus if the job is a success. I give you full range of our Guild fences, should you need them."

"Score."

* * *

暁 **TK Grimm** 暁

* * *

And so, Sakura found herself crouched down in the bushes just before the Ponte della Libertà, the bridge that led into the City of Venice. The caravan would be arriving at any moment, and this was where they were to apprehend it. Sasori was to her left and Deidara on her right, and as she had expected, they were already bickering.

"I respect your opinion as a fellow artist!" Deidara protested. "Why can't you respect mine, yeah?"

"Because your opinion is stupid," Sasori bluntly replied.

"_You're_ stupid."

"Deidara."

"Yeah?"

"Shut up."

Sakura sighed loudly and tried to ignore them as best she could. They got a little quieter after that, and she was able to focus on the task at hand. The moon shone high in the night sky and offered just enough light to reveal the road but conceal their presence in the foliage. The various sounds of wildlife and crashing waves broke the silence, but they were natural, expected, and not distracting.

She wasn't wearing her usual white dress with the red corset. This mission called for stealth. Like her teammates, she was dressed in all black with a hood coming over her head to hide her pink hair. Her face was covered by a Venetian half-mask with a flowery pattern. The thought of wearing a mask made her think of Tobi, and she felt the corners of her lips tug upward. She could only imagine the sass he'd throw at her for wearing a mask.

"I can hear heavy footfalls approaching," Sasori said. "Deidara."

"I'm on it… yeah," Deidara said. He reached into the satchel he carried and withdrew a small ball of clay which he began to mold and press into a birdlike shape.

Though Sakura had worked with them once before, she'd never seen Deidara do this. "What's that for?"

"It's detonating clay," Deidara whispered back. "It's stable in my pack, but I'm kneading the explosive powder into it. It'll cause a nice little distraction while you two get the ruby."

Sakura's eyebrows rose a little. "You really are a demolitions expert, aren't you?"

Deidara snorted. "We can't all be cutpurses and wall-climbers." Once Deidara had three tiny bombs in his hand, the caravan and its contingent of armored guards had finally come into view in the distance. "Leave this to me… yeah."

"Be careful," Sakura warned.

"Worried about me?" Deidara asked, grinning boyishly at her. "That's cute, yeah."

Sakura pretended to examine her nails. "No, it would just be inconvenient if they traced your corpse back to the Red Moon." Deidara's shoulders slumped, and Sakura chuckled. "I'm kidding. Go, Deidara."

"Right." Deidara vanished into the night, and Sakura and Sasori were left alone.

The caravan continued its steady march toward the bridge into Venice. When it had progressed close to where Sakura and Sasori were concealed, a large explosion rang through the air. A tall smoke cloud billowed up into the sky a mild distance away. As expected, it startled most of the guard, especially the civilian caravan driver.

"What was that?" asked one of the guards.

"A bomb?"

"Bandits, no doubt," said another. He wore tall white plumes on his helmet that suggested he was of higher rank than the others—a captain, perhaps. "My team will look into it. Genma, you and your team stay here and protect the caravan."

"Whatever you say, Kakashi," answered one of the guards, presumably Genma.

Sakura watched with baited breath as the guard captain led half of his men away from the caravan. He and nine armored guards disappeared into the trees in the direction of the explosion. Another burst came shortly after, this time from another direction. Deidara must be on the move. It was a clever strategy, to throw the enemy off and make you think there were more of you than there actually were.

Sakura saw movement from the corner of her eyes. She glanced to her left and saw Sasori drawing the longbow from his back. He reached for an arrow from his quiver and dipped it into a glass bottle filled to the top with an ominous purple liquid.

"What's that?" Sakura whispered, too quiet to be overheard.

"A poison made from concentrated scorpion venom."

Sakura didn't look too impressed. "Italian scorpions are harmless."

Sasori's honey-colored eyes shot toward Sakura, and for a brief moment, he looked amused. "They are indeed."

Right. Not Italian then. And Sakura definitely didn't need any more details. She held up her hands in motion of surrender and let Sasori get back to work. "Fair enough."

"Prepare yourself," he said—the only warning he would give.

Sakura stayed low to the ground and waited for the first shot. Sasori nocked the arrow and pulled back on the string. His eyes honed in on his target with deadly precision, and when he released the arrow, it hit the guard in the neck where the armor was weakest. A bit of blood shot out with impact, and he gurgled in surprise before falling over.

Immediately, Sakura and Sasori separated. They both stayed low to the ground, concealed by foliage, and moved in opposite directions. The guards yelled in surprise and drew their weapons. Some of them went back-to-back for better degree of vision. Three of them wandered into the foliage in search of their hidden attacker.

Sakura heard another _fffwp!_ Sasori's poisoned arrows claimed another kill. She paid it little heed. While Sasori distracted the remaining eight guards, Sakura was able to sneak close to the rear of the caravan. It was a large wagon with a back door that was locked by a simple padlock. Child's play. Sakura all but rolled her eyes and withdrew a hairpin to deftly pick the lock. She felt around for the tumblers, and when they gave way, the lock fell open. She slid the pin back into her hair and pulled the padlock off the door.

A quick glance around the side of the caravan showed the guards were still frantically searching for Sasori. Three of them remained to guard the front of the caravan, but as for the others, she couldn't say, for they were completely gone from sight.

Sakura silently opened the door and stepped inside. She closed the door behind her so it would appear that nothing was amiss. Inside the wagon, she found a few casks of fine wine and a couple of spice crates, but what really caught her eye was the small, ornate lockbox on the floor. It was a red box with gold filigree and the crest of the Senju family emblazoned on the lid.

She grinned and knelt down in front of it. Running her fingers along the rim of the box, she discovered that it was trapped with something she couldn't quite identify. It would likely release a poison gas the moment she opened the lid. The front side of the box had an indentation in the lock area that also looked like the Senju crest. It was about the size for a signet ring to open it.

Sakura cursed under her breath. If the box was trapped, she had no way of telling what with. Picking a lock like that would require time she didn't have. As such, she did the only thing she could do:

She took the whole damn box.

Tucking the lockbox carefully under her arm, Sakura opened the back door just a crack and peeked through it. It looked fairly clear. She took one last look behind her in hopes that something else might be worth stealing. While the wine and spices would fetch a lovely price on the market, there was no way she was getting away from the scene with even one of those large items. She doubted Sasori and Deidara would be able to make a smooth getaway carrying such luggage, either.

And so, with a muted, regretful sigh, Sakura stepped out of the caravan and closed the door behind her. She only just had time to duck before a sword swung out and very nearly cut off her head. A leg shot out just after, and Sakura had to twist to grab it by the ankle with her free hand. However, that was the hand that she'd injured the day before on the harbor when she bumped into Rin, and it hadn't healed yet. She winced and dropped the attacker's ankle right away.

He went for another swipe of his sword, and Sakura back-flipped out of the way. It was a difficult feat to do so while carrying the lockbox, but she had little choice when trying to dodge a sword. The added distance gave her a good look at who she was fighting. It was the captain of the guard, with the tall feathers on his helmet. It obscured the top of his head and lower half of his face, but Sakura saw two dark eyes and a scar going down his left one. The left eye was white with blindness. It was a unique, distinct feature, and it caught her attention right away.

Speaking of distinct features, she tugged on her hood to make sure it was securely hiding her hair color. Her mask would conceal her identity, but she didn't want to take any chances, especially with the way this man refused to take his eyes off her or drop his guard even a little.

"If you drop that box and surrender," said the guard, "I will spare your life."

His comrades had called him Kakashi, Sakura remembered that much. Still, she knew nothing about this man, so she had no reason to believe his offer. Besides, it was far too early in the night to even think about surrendering.

"Sorry to disappoint you," she said, smiling coyly. The mask only concealed her nose and eyes, so her lips were plain to see. "But giving up isn't in my nature."

"Nor mine," said Kakashi.

Sakura opened her mouth to speak, but there was an explosion, and this one was close. An arrow shot out from the trees, and Kakashi leapt back just in time for it to hit the caravan instead of his chest. Sakura used that moment to reach for a smoke bomb on her belt. She threw it onto the ground, and it burst into thick smog that concealed everyone and everything from view. She didn't hesitate and ran straight for the woods.

Something grabbed her arm and changed her direction. Sakura turned to unleash a punch to the face of whoever it was, but she faltered when she saw Deidara through the smog. The two of them darted through upturned roots and foliage until they made it to the shore.

Sasori was already there untying the rope around the small fishing boat they were to use for their escape.

"Won't they follow us here?" Sakura asked.

"I've got it covered… yeah," Deidara said.

Sakura climbed into the wooden boat and sat down. A moment later, a huge explosion, far surpassing any of the others, rang out from the forest. A giant cloud of fire and smoke shot into the air like dragon fire. Chunks of tree, dirt, and road rubble blew up into several pieces before crashing back into the ground.

"That'll keep them busy," Deidara said with a smug smile.

"Not quite," Sasori warned.

Sure enough, the guard from before, Kakashi, emerged from the woods and sprinted toward them with his sword drawn. His helmet had been removed somehow, perhaps from a wayward attack, and it revealed a head of spiky silver hair. His dark eyes were cold and focused.

"Hurry, Sasori!" Sakura cried.

Sasori pushed off from the shore, and the fishing boat went toward the sea. Kakashi stopped at the shoreline when he could not pursue. With Deidara manning the ores, Sasori drew his bow and nocked an arrow.

Sakura put her hand over the arrow and said, "Wait, don't."

Sasori's eyes stayed on his target. "Let go."

"We got what we came for," Sakura said. "Enough people have died tonight." As far as she had seen, only about three of the twenty guards had died, though there was no way to be certain. Not when half of them pursued Deidara and his bombs.

"Are you seriously asking me to show mercy right now?" Sasori asked, tearing his eyes away from Kakashi to glare at Sakura in harsh disbelief.

"No," Sakura said, shaking her head once. "I'm asking you not to kill."

Sasori stared at her, not expecting that comment. It made him hesitate, and his aim faltered. When he turned his gaze back to Kakashi, he released the arrow, and the guard was able to sidestep it. It did, however, graze his leg through the armor.

Sasori looked a bit miffed, but he didn't bother drawing another arrow. Deidara had brought the boat far enough into sea that it would have been a waste of time. Sasori sighed and slung his bow back onto his back. He sat down opposite Sakura and looked to the side at the sea. If Sakura had to guess, she'd say Sasori looked as if he were brooding.

"Thank you," she said, giving him a small smile.

Sasori didn't acknowledge her with a glance. "That bleeding heart of yours is going to get you killed one of these days."

"Or it might make me friends," Sakura replied.

Sasori scoffed. "It must not have occurred to you that that guard could very well recognize you after tonight? You're not exactly inconspicuous, even with that ridiculous hair of yours hidden under a hood."

"I'm plenty inconspicuous," Sakura said with a frown. "I'm wearing all black and a _mask_. What more do you want?"

"If you'd have let me kill him, there would be no chance of you being discovered," said the assassin. "I would have been doing you a favor."

Sakura sighed loudly. "My disguise is fine. He could see me tomorrow and not have any clue who I was."

"You shouldn't underestimate your enemy," Sasori told her, finally looking at her.

"They're the city guard," Sakura said. "They're not enemies."

"So long as you're a thief, yes, they are enemies. Remember that."

* * *

暁 **TK Grimm** 暁

* * *

Deidara brought the fishing boat up through a small canal in the Dorsoduro district. Sasori stepped out first to check that the area was clear. Once that was confirmed, he returned to the boat. Deidara hopped out first, and then Sakura jumped onto the ledge after him.

The three of them were in a narrow alley between two buildings. Vines and moss climbed up the sides like veins. The paved street was a bit damp from splashing water. They made their way to the opposite end of the alley from the waterside and emerged onto the street.

"The decorations for Carnevale are pretty much finished," Sakura commented. She looked around at the glass covers that made the flames that lit the streets turn a variety of reds, blues, purples, and yellows. Streamers were hung from walls and wires where many once hung their wet clothing to dry. The city just seemed more alive during this time of year.

"Come on," Deidara said. "We've got to meet up with Kakuzu… yeah."

The rendezvous point was a small warehouse by the docks of Dorsoduro. It looked like any other building alone the harbor, but Sakura and the others recognized it by the tiny, almost indiscernible cloud outline engraved on the wooden doorframe. Deidara walked up to the door and glanced around before knocking in a special sequence.

It was silent for a moment before a gruff voice said, "Nothing but shadows in here."

"We are all shadows," Sasori snapped impatiently.

With the passphrase delivered, Kakuzu opened the door, and the three of them headed inside. The inside was filled with various shipping crates, some opened, some turned over, and others stacked as high as the ceiling. Sakura was a little tempted to play around jumping from one to another like a game, but she resisted the notion in favor of addressing Kakuzu.

"So, about the ruby," she began a little awkwardly.

Kakuzu's olive-green eyes snapped toward her and narrowed. "What happened?"

"Nothing happened," Sakura assured him. She held out the red and gold lockbox for Kakuzu to inspect. "It's in here, but the box is trapped. If we open it with anything other than a Senju signet ring, it's going to detonate. I'd guess it's a poison gas trap, because they wouldn't want to risk harming the ruby, but you never know."

"Even I wouldn't risk blowing up three-hundred forty-eight carats… yeah," Deidara agreed.

Kakuzu took the lockbox from Sakura and examined the sides and the lock. He let out a low hum that could have just been an annoyed grumble by the sound of it. "This development changes things. We'll have to delay your payout for this job until we get the box open."

"Aw, come on, Kakuzu!" Deidara complained. "We did the work, yeah."

"There's a chance this box could be an over-complicated decoy," Kakuzu said. "Did you thoroughly search the caravan?"

Sakura shifted a little on her feet. "Well, there was a battle going on outside of it. But I did search! It was full of a bunch of spice crates and fancy wine casks. That was the only thing small enough that I could carry."

Kakuzu rubbed his masked chin thoughtfully. "I see. It could go either way, then. I will have to check with my contacts and see if I can find someone who can forge a signet ring. If not, we may have to steal one."

Sakura knew what that meant. She gave a dramatic sigh and muttered, "Slave driver."

Kakuzu ignored the jibe. "Alright, all of you get back to the Guild. And _travel separately_."

* * *

暁 **TK Grimm** 暁

* * *

Sakura wasn't sure which routes Deidara and Sasori took to get back to the Red Moon, but she did what acrobats do best—she traveled over the rooftops. She climbed up the side of the warehouse building using the vines and ledges. Her small, nimble frame was perfect for wall-climbing and parkour. At the top, she scanned the area for archers. There were often guards posted on rooftops at night, as traveling this way was most certainly illegal. Her route was fairly clear, though.

Sakura ran toward the northern edge of the roof and leapt into the air at the last second. She reached out her arms and grabbed the ledge of the opposite roof. Pulling herself up was a little difficult, but she got a leg up and managed the rest with ease. She spotted an archer from the corner of her eye and hopped down the side of the building. Her hand grabbed the ledge, and she dropped down onto a balcony of a residence.

From there, she climbed onto the railing and held out her arms for balance. Sakura silently traveled across a wooden beam that went from the balcony to the building on the other side of the road. From there, she climbed up the lattice on the wall to get back onto the roof. The archer from before had his back turned, so Sakura stealthily continued onward.

She made it to the San Polo district in record time. Once she was back in the red light district, she slid down from the roof and grabbed a horizontal post that was used to hang flowerpots to break her fall. Then, she let go and landed deftly on her feet.

It was exhilarating, almost as much as the actual heist was. There was something about traveling through rooftops at night, dodging archers and making challenging leaps that really made her feel alive. She pulled down her hood and slipped off the flower-pattern mask to take a deep breath of refreshing air.

Sakura headed down the familiar street. This was one part of the city that never slept. Prostitutes stood on the edges of the roads in search of customers. Drunks linked arms and walked side-by-side. A bard sat on the side of the road with his lute and a rather crude tune.

When she reached the Red Moon, she stopped in her tracks at a rather surprising sight. Of all people in the entire city, she witnessed _Tobi_, mask and all, walking out of the very same brothel. He stopped when he saw her, and even with that stupid orange mask covering his face, she still knew he was surprised to see her.

"Tobi?" she asked, gaping at him. "What were you doing in a _whorehouse_?"

"I needed the money," he deadpanned—a rather bad joke, really. "What are _you _doing going _into _one?"

"Uh, I—I'm not—I mean—my friend works there."

There was a distinct pause in which Sakura was pretty sure silently translated to, _Uh-huh, sure, kid_.

Sakura flushed. "I do! She's a blonde, and her name is Ino. What, a girl can't visit her friend the night before Carnevale to pick out dresses and stuff?"

Tobi held up his hands in mock surrender. "Fair enough."

"What about you?" Sakura quipped. "I doubt they'll let you whore yourself out with that mask on."

"You'd be surprised," he replied smoothly. "Plenty of people are into masks."

Sakura rolled her eyes. So he still wasn't taking their conversations seriously. "Yeah, sure—whatever, Tobi." She made a move to walk past him but ended up stopping a short ways in front of him instead when another thought came to mind. "So… that girl you're in love with… she's not one of the…?" Sakura trailed off meaningfully.

Tobi's shoulders seemed to get a little tense. "No."

Ah. Maybe one of the girls in the Red Moon looked like the one he was in love with then. Well _that _was a little creepy, but eh, she'd heard worse stories from Ino. She'd let it slide. "Well, whatever works for you, I guess."

Tobi regarded her quietly for a moment before he said, "You surprise me. You strike me as the type of girl who believes in romance and true love."

Sakura huffed and walked around so she was standing at his side facing the same direction. She looked out at the red light district around them and said, "Well, my parents died when I was twelve, so I learned pretty quickly that there wasn't really time for that sort of thing, you know? I mean, I remember being a kid and believing in true love, waiting for Prince Charming, but when you've lived on the streets and stolen to keep yourself alive and fed, and that prince doesn't come, you kind of stop believing in him."

They were both quiet for a moment while the weight of Sakura's heavy words fell down on them. Sakura almost regretted turning the conversation so seriously. She hadn't intended to, but she was answering his question honestly.

And then, Tobi broke the silence with a lazy remark of, "So you admit to being a thief."

Sakura staggered and nearly fell over. "That's all you got from that? I'm not a thief! I said I had to steal to eat! We can't all be rich, spoiled Uchiha jerks!"

"Stealing to eat is still stealing," Tobi tsked, wagging his finger at her. "Thief."

"Bah!" Sakura exclaimed, throwing her arms up into the air. "I can't believe I actually _wanted _to see you. I'm going."

Tobi's voice stopped her midway. "You _wanted_ to see me?"

Sakura folded her arms across her chest and refused to look at him. "Well, I _was _looking forward to seeing you at Carnevale, but I'm quickly reconsidering that if all you're going to do is call me a thief."

She made a move to walk away, but Tobi stopped her by taking her arm lightly in his grasp. "I'm sorry, Sakura. I didn't mean to offend you. But… if you want, I will see you tomorrow night at Carnevale."

Sakura's breath caught in her throat, and she turned to face him. Through the eyeholes in his mask, she could finally see that Tobi's eyes were as black as his hair, like most of the Uchiha line. She got a bit lost in those eyes for a moment, but when Tobi tilted his head to the side, clearly waiting for her answer, she quickly stammered out, "R-right. I mean, yeah, sure, that sounds good. I'll see you there."

* * *

暁 **TK Grimm** 暁

* * *

**Today's topic for discussion**: Obito x Rin – _Contains Spoilers for the latest chapters!_

I know, I know, it's like, _canon_. But honestly? I can't stand it. It's not that I dislike Rin, even, because on the contrary, I think she's a nice, sweet girl. And I don't support Kakashi x Rin, either, so before you naysayers complain, it's not because of that. Honestly my problem with the ObiRin ship is just… well, she never had feelings for him. She said so herself that she loved Kakashi, and while it irks me that, hey, here's this boy who died for you, and all you can do when you find out he loved you is announce your love for someone else – whatever, y'know, I get it; I don't like it, but I get it.

I just think… I don't know. Obito deserves better than being someone's second choice. Hell, _anyone _deserves better than being someone's second choice. That's kind of why I don't usually like Naruto x Sakura simply because Sakura doesn't have feelings for Naruto, unless, in the story, they write a believable process of Sakura falling for Naruto instead. Then it's totally fine, and I'm cool with that.

But this… not so much. Rin dies while still in love with Kakashi (though she gave up and impaled herself a bit early in my opinion, I mean, she didn't even _try _to find a better solution). She isn't even _thinking _about Obito. And Obito starts a fucking _war _over her (sort of) and is even reunited with her upon his death a couple chapters ago. I just… don't like it. It's unfair to him. He spent his whole life pining over some girl who didn't even look at him that way. Rin perma-friendzoned Obito, so the ObiRin ship is like, invalid to me.

Granted, the ObiSaku ship doesn't make an inkling of sense either, but hey, that's fan fiction. And none of my ships that I write make sense. I'm not here to discuss ObiSaku because, duh, it's a crack pairing. The discussion is on the legitimacy of ObiRin. And I'm calling shenanigans.

What about you? Do you think it's legit and I should stfu and stick to crack pairings? Or do you agree and think he needs to get over the girl who friendzoned him when they were kids? Do you like Rin as a character? Or do you hate her? Let me pick your brains—give me your thoughts!


	4. Games

_**TK**_: I made good on my promise at last! We're starting off with some Obito POV, right in the beginning. It's not much, but I'll be doing it again, so in the meantime, I hope you all like it. There's some emotional turmoil, a few close calls with identity, and some trolling on Obito's part. Needless to say, Sakura simply has her hands full this chapter.

Writing this chapter gave me an insatiable craving for churros.

On another random note, I used the term "bosom buddies" the other day and got a lot of weird looks. Does no one say "bosom buddies" anymore when referring to close friends? I feel almost as old as I did the time I said, "What am I, chopped liver?" and was met with chirping crickets. Sigh…

Also, write up some one-shots for the _**2014 Naruto One-Shot Challenge**_. Details on my profile. I will get around to reading entries soon.

**[**ObiSaku. After being rescued by a Masked Man, Sakura makes it her mission to discover his identity—even if it means sneaking into the ballroom during Carnevale. AU.**]**

* * *

_**Carnevale**_

_TK Grimm_

* * *

**Chapter Four:**

**Games**

* * *

Obito Uchiha was a dead man. Except, it wasn't in the literal sense—not technically. He was actually alive and well… and biding his time.

What few people outside the illustrious Uchiha family knew was that it was on the brink of civil war with itself. While the official head of the family was Fugaku Uchiha, father of Itachi and Sasuke, there were those who followed Madara Uchiha, the recently returned former head of the family before Fugaku. The circumstances behind his disappearance were about as mysterious as his sudden reappearance, but it had the usually calm and stoic Uchiha family in a state of chaos.

So much so that they simply didn't have time to devote to further planning their coup d'état against the Senju family who currently presided over Venice. It was rather inconvenient timing, really. But then, Madara probably couldn't care less about timing.

"You're a lucky brat, Obito," Madara told him. When the two of them were alone, they didn't bother keeping up with Obito's false identity. "If I hadn't found you when I did, you'd have died under those rocks."

"Some would say that's _un_lucky," Obito calmly replied. He stood at Madara's side and gazed impassively at the partying citizens around them who were all enjoying Carnevale.

Though Madara Uchiha was in his mid-fifties, he didn't look much older than forty. And while Madara mostly stayed in his study at the Uchiha family estate, scheming and manipulating and putting his little puzzle pieces into place, Obito did as the bastard asked and acted out his will. Spying, lying, and creating discord, laying the foundation for something that would turn out to be quite horrible—

"Don't get smart with me, boy," Madara said as he shot Obito a warning glance. "One word from me, and your identity becomes public knowledge. And wouldn't the family be happy to know the disgrace to the name of Uchiha is still alive?"

Obito was silent. It just wasn't worth rising to the bait anymore. And when Obito didn't fight back, Madara lost interest and resumed whatever he was doing beforehand. In this case, he made an annoyed, "Tch," sound and switched his narrow, dark eyes back to the letter he was reading.

When he was alive, Obito meant nothing to his family. He was too soft, too much like their enemy, the Senju family. Befriending Rin and Kakashi had only driven the wedge between Obito and his family even deeper. The only time he'd ever done something that they approved of was when he 'died' in place of those two, saving their lives by sacrificing his own. It made him look like a hero and painted the Uchiha family in a positive light that endeared their many enemies to them, even if just a little.

But Obito survived, thanks to Madara. Madara Uchiha, the former head of the family who had come back to reclaim his title and wreak havoc in the process. Madara needed Obito because in Madara's conceited gaze, Obito was a loyal servant with nothing more to live for. That, and one word from Madara would mean Rin's untimely death, something that kept Obito on a rather short leash all by itself.

Madara needed an invisible servant, a spy, someone who knew the workings of the Uchiha family and could act as his eyes and ears—an anonymous agent. And so, Madara brought Obito with him to Venice and called him Tobi Uchiha, his beloved son whose mother had died tragically of sickness. The ploy had Hashirama Senju, Doge of Venice, welcoming Madara back to Venice with open arms and brotherly words of sympathy.

And Madara could begin phase two of his plans.

"It's almost time, Obito," Madara said, not looking up from the document he was reading. "Soon, all of our plans will come to fruition. Venice will be mine, and you will have a seat at my right hand. You can even keep that little doctor pet of yours, if you so desire."

Obito was very careful not to show any signs of anger at Madara's remark. He adjusted the orange Venetian mask a little more securely on his face. The purple flame pattern covered the right side of his face, much like the scars left from the rockslide. "Yes, sir."

Listen for now. Obey for now. But when the time comes… _do not hesitate to strike the hawk down_.

"Good. Now go—I have work to do."

Yes… Obito Uchiha was biding his time.

* * *

暁 **TK Grimm** 暁

* * *

"Tobi! Hey, Tobi!"

Sakura had finally found him just as the sun was beginning to set. Even though it was a special time of year in which the whole city was wearing masks, Tobi was still surprisingly easy to identify. No one had a mask like his, and she was able to pick him out also by the short, messy black hair and the Uchiha crest on his clothes.

He wasn't alone, though. There was another man with him, and judging by the crest on his back he, too, was an Uchiha. When he turned around, Sakura saw a rather attractive man with long black hair cut into choppy layers that fell over his face and partially obscured his left eye from view. When he saw her, he reached up a hand and used his long, thin fingers to brush his hair out of the way, but it ended up shifting to the side and partially covering the right eye instead. Untamable.

"Who is this, Tobi?" the man asked, eyeing Sakura with a curious gleam in his eyes.

Tobi, Sakura noticed, had a tenseness to him that she'd only ever seen once before—when she asked about the nameless girl he was in love with. His posture reminded her of a cornered animal, one debating whether or not to strike. It immediately put her on edge.

"…This is Sakura," he finally said. "Some girl I met a couple days ago by the docks."

Sakura's eye twitched once. "_Some girl_, huh? That's nice. And here I thought we were almost friends."

"Not quite."

Sakura huffed and turned toward the older man whom she didn't know. She dipped her head politely and said, "It's nice to meet you. Like he said, my name is Sakura."

"Sakura—what a lovely name," said the man. He reached for Sakura's hand and, like a true gentleman of the Renaissance, brought it to his lips for a gentle kiss on her knuckles. He wore the same black gloves that Tobi always wore. "My name is Madara Uchiha. I am Tobi's father."

Surprise swam over Sakura's face. "Oh, um…" Madara didn't let go of her hand. "I should have guessed. You have the same eyes and that spiky black hair."

"A familial trait," Madara said, using his free hand to wave in a gesture of dismissal. "May I ask what it is your husband does, Sakura?"

"Oh, I—I'm not married," Sakura said. She felt her face get a little warm and knew the beginnings of a blush were starting to form on her cheeks.

"Oh? Surely it is a crime in this city for such a beautiful young woman to be unwed," Madara said in a teasing voice. "Perhaps I should arrest you, hmm?"

Holy shit, Tobi's dad was _flirting_ with her! Sakura tried and failed not to giggle at the absurdity of it, and she found herself grinning at Madara like the flattered little girl she was. "I certainly hope not. Perhaps you can let me off the hook just this once, Lord Uchiha?"

"Please, just Madara is fine, my dear," he all but cooed. "And I suppose I can be generous this time."

Sakura giggled behind her hand—the one that Madara wasn't holding onto—and said, "Well, thank you! I'd say it's nice to see where Tobi gets his charms, but apparently you kept them all to yourself."

Madara tilted his head back and laughed at that. "Oh, I _like_ you," he said, grinning down at her. "Where have you been hiding her, Tobi?"

Tobi, looking even _more_ tense than he had been moments ago, gave a short, clipped response. "I haven't been hiding her anywhere."

Madara sighed and shook his head at Tobi. "Oh, suit yourself. I'll let you two enjoy Carnevale. Perhaps I'll see you later on though, Sakura."

"Perhaps you will," Sakura said with a smile.

Madara finally released Sakura's hand and gave her a low, swooping bow before he turned from them and began to walk away. Once he was out of earshot, Sakura turned to Obito and shot him a look.

"So that was your father, huh?" she asked. "Well, he's certainly handsome. You carry many of his features, you know." Even with the mask on, Sakura was able to see Tobi's eyes narrow at her, and she quickly said, "I—I mean, nothing. Nothing alike at all. Totally different; night and day…"

Tobi sighed loudly and reached up a hand to rub the side of his head as if to soothe a headache. "…It's fine. Don't worry about it."

Sakura pressed her lips together tightly. There was definitely something more to the picture that she was missing, but if Tobi wouldn't show her his _face_, he probably wasn't going to talk about any personal issues he had with his father. Speaking of…

"So when do I get to see your face?" she asked, smiling widely at him.

She wasn't sure about his expression, but the tension seemed to slip from his shoulders, and Tobi at least _sounded_ amused. "The suspense is killing you, isn't it?" he asked.

Sakura pouted a little and looked away. "Maybe."

"You've probably made all sorts of ridiculous theories by now," said Tobi.

"A few, yeah," she admitted. "An obscenely large nose and warts have been among them."

"Definitely possible," Tobi drawled. "I heard warts are contagious, too. You'd better keep your distance."

Sakura rolled her eyes at him. "Very funny." There was a pause, and for a moment, she felt unsure. She turned her head back toward him and peered up at him with suspicion. "That _was _a joke, right?"

Tobi walked forward at a slow pace and smoothly replied, "I suppose you'll never know."

Sakura stared at his back for a moment. "…Damn it," she muttered as she jogged to catch up to him.

"So where's _your_ mask?" Tobi inquired as they walked side-by-side. The streets of Venice were filled with multi-colored lights. Music could be heard from every corner. People danced, chatted, and walked around enjoying the many festivities of Carnevale.

"Oh yeah," Sakura said. She quickly put on her white mask. It had an intricate pattern of pink flowers and gold filigree. It only covered her eyes, though, so it didn't obscure her nose or mouth like Tobi's mask did. She tied the ribbons behind her head to secure the mask in place and then brought her short pink hair over it to conceal the knot. Then, she looked up at Tobi and said, "Tada!"

He chuckled. "You're easily amused."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"No," he said. "I was, too, when I was your age."

Sakura furrowed her brow at that. He didn't _sound_ very old, and if Madara was his father, he couldn't have been more than twenty-something. "How old are you?"

"Twenty-seven. What are you, sixteen?"

"_Nineteen_," she said a little testily.

"Practically a kid," Tobi said.

Sakura punched his arm jokingly. "Okay, Mr. _Ancient_, we can't all be old enough to remember the foundation of Rome!"

Tobi stumbled a little before he caught himself—Sakura was a lot stronger than she looked. He rubbed his arm and said, "Okay, I'm not _that _old."

She smirked at him. "I don't know—it's hard for me to agree to that without seeing your face."

"Then I'll just have to deal with your comments about my age," he said simply.

Sakura's shoulders slumped. "Hey, wait—that's not fair!"

"Come on," he said. "I think I remember you telling me you were good at carnival games. Can you prove it?"

Sakura's eyebrows rose at the challenge. "Oh, it is _on_. Name the game, buddy."

Tobi looked around, apparently deliberating his choices. "Let's go this way. There are usually good ones in Dorsoduro."

"Something wrong with San Polo?" Sakura asked, feeling a little defensive about her home turf.

"It's a bit dirty, isn't it?" he asked. "And those prostitutes have been eyeing me oddly."

Sakura shot him a look that said she wasn't buying it. "Says the guy who I caught walking out of a _brothel_ last night."

"Well, the crime rate is also outrageous," Tobi continued, shooting her a meaningful look. "I'd hate to get mugged."

Sakura threw her hands up in defeat. "_Fine_," she said. "We'll go to Dorsoduro."

* * *

暁 **TK Grimm** 暁

* * *

The salty smell of the ocean blended well with the various food stands around them, but Sakura was busy focusing on the game to care about the rest. She held a small knife in her right hand and four others in her left. The man chaperoning the game was speaking loudly with a wide smile on his face as he attempted to draw in more players and thus swindle more money out of them.

"Man, I have seen some shitty knives, but this is just sad," Sakura said. She touched her finger to the tip and brought it down. When she released the tip of the blade, it actually wobbled. "Knives everywhere must weep at the sight of these."

Tobi made a dramatic show of sighing and pretending to examine his fingernails, despite the fact that he was still wearing black gloves. "That sounds an awful lot like an _excuse_, Sakura. If you're not as good at these sorts of games as you claimed to be, you can just admit it, you know. I won't mock you… much."

Sakura shot him an irritated look. She switched her jade green eyes to the target—a rather obnoxious red and white bull's-eye—and adjusted for the lack of balance in the wobbly knife. If she threw it hard enough, it should still penetrate the wooden target, no matter how reinforced the shady chaperone made it. Sakura pulled back and threw the knife very hard. The tip sank into the wood with a dull _thwack_!

The chaperone's jaw dropped, but he quickly covered it with a tense smile. "That's… quite an arm you have there, little lady. Perhaps you'd like to try again? I hope it wasn't beginner's luck."

What an idiot. Sakura ignored him and threw another dagger. This one hit the bull's-eye as well. The expression of shock on the chaperone's face when the third dagger did the same made Sakura smirk in amusement. The Guild had taught Sakura as well—what kind of thief didn't know her way around a throwing knife?

Once all five knives were implanted into the bull's-eye, the chaperone reluctantly let Sakura pick whatever prize she wanted.

"I want my name on the list of candidates for the Golden Mask," Sakura said with a wide smile.

The chaperone staggered a bit. "Uh, are you sure? You're very talented with this game, little lady, but you have to win more games than anyone to win the Golden Mask."

"I know," Sakura said simply. "And I will. So sign me up!"

He hesitantly did as she asked, and Sakura turned to Tobi with a satisfied gleam in her eyes. "Well?" she asked. "Impressed?"

Her masked companion gave a half-hearted shrug in reply. "That was just one game. I'll need more evidence before I believe your claim."

Sakura scoffed. "No problem. I'll have that mask by the end of the night."

"Why the Golden Mask?" Tobi asked curiously. "You didn't want the giant stuffed animal? Most girls would."

"Most girls are idiots," Sakura said bluntly.

She made him laugh with that remark, and it brought a genuine smile to Sakura's face. The tension from earlier was all but vanished.

"So you're going to try to win the Golden Mask—why?"

Sakura shuffled a little on her feet, refusing to make eye-contact. "I want to go to the Doge's ball."

Every year during Carnevale, the Doge of Venice held a grand ball of spectacular proportions. It had a very exclusive guest list, and everyone invited wore a golden mask sent out with their invitation. There was one mask, however, that was given as a prize every year to the citizen who won the most games during Carnevale before the ball takes place on the third evening.

This year, that person was going to be Sakura.

"I see," Tobi said. "That wouldn't be so you can _steal_ from our beloved Doge, would it?"

Sakura's voice became a little high pitched as she protested, "_Whaaaaat_? Me? Nah..."

"M-hmm," he said in a tone that showed he wasn't even a little bit convinced. "Then I must have imagined you picking your money back out of the knife-throwing chaperone's pocket."

Sakura's shoulders fell a little. "I suppose you think I'm a bit of a kleptomaniac."

"I assure you, that ship has already sailed." Despite his words, he sounded genuinely amused. Tobi reached over and put his hand on Sakura's shoulder to turn her around toward the rest of the games. "Come on—let's go win you that Golden Mask so you can flirt with my father some more. Because that wasn't even a little bit horrifying the first time around."

Her happy mood returned immediately, and Sakura giggled at Tobi's joke. Despite their rather odd encounters, she found she'd never had quite as much fun as she did when she was with Tobi. She hoped he felt the same way.

"Ooo, I wanna try this one!"

Tobi sounded dubious. "Arm wrestling?"

"Oh, hell yeah," Sakura said. "I'm way stronger than I look. Just watch!"

So he did. Sakura entered in the arm wrestling competition. While the other big, burly men participating all laughed at the adorable young woman in her frilly white dress, she grinned wildly at them and challenged the largest one she saw. She had his arm down in just under a minute and flexed her small arms with a triumphant cry of, "_Shannaro_!"

Within minutes, she had all the other men at her feet while Sakura rolled her arm to pop her shoulder. Her name went down on the list of candidates for the Golden Mask once again, and Sakura was one step closer to her goal.

Needless to say, Tobi gave Sakura a bit more of a wide berth after that frightening display of strength. "So… have you always been that… strong?"

Sakura smiled sheepishly at him. "Oh, um… you just need to know how to apply your strength. My father was a strongman back in his day."

Tobi had seen a strongman perform in his youth. He was able to pull a cart that weighed four times as much as he did. It was a very impressive display.

Sakura caught sight of a vendor with a cart full of Spanish churros and squealed with delight. "Ooo, churros! I need one. Come on!" Without thinking, she reached out and took Tobi's gloved hand in hers and pulled him toward the churro stand. Sakura took out her small coin purse—which was now considerably heavier than it had been when she arrived at Carnevale—and withdrew a few florins to pay the vendor. "I'd like two churros, please."

"Anything for the beautiful maiden before me!" flirted the old churro vendor with an exaggerated wink. "Would you like a filling?"

"Oh yes," Sakura said. Her mouth was practically watering at the thought. "Chocolate. Definitely chocolate. Tobi?"

Tobi seemed to be snapping out of a momentary daze. "I don't—I'm not sure. I haven't had churros in years."

Sakura stared at him. "…That is just… tragic. Seriously." She turned back to the vendor and said, "He'll have chocolate, too."

The old man chuckled at them both and offered them two chocolate-filled churros in exchange for a couple of florins. Sakura handed one to Tobi while she bit into hers. The chocolate melted in her mouth, and she made a delighted moan.

Tobi shook his head at her. "You women and your chocolate."

"You know, if men tasted like chocolate, you'd hear a lot less complaints from women," Sakura replied.

"If men tasted like chocolate, you'd probably hear more cases of spousal cannibalism," Tobi said drolly.

Sakura was about to reply, but her words became lodged in her throat when Tobi lifted up his hand and actually _lifted part of his mask_. Her lips parted in shock, and she stared in muted fascination as Tobi took a bite of churro—and _let her see_ the lower half of his face. He had a scar running from his lower lip down to his chin and another smaller scar on the right side of his cheek, but she couldn't see any higher than that. Otherwise, he looked perfectly normal—nice teeth, a well-angled jaw, and clear skin.

She also just barely had time to register his smirking face before the mask was back in place. She stared at him. "…You did that on purpose just to tease me."

"I might have," Tobi said.

"…Damn it!"

"Sakura, is that you?" asked a female voice.

Sakura turned around at the sound and saw a woman wearing a purple half-mask similar to her own. She had straight brown hair that reached her shoulders and wore a lovely dress with black and purple patterns over white fabric.

"Rin?" Sakura asked. They both smiled at each other. "Hi!"

On Rin's arm was an attractive man with wild, unruly silver hair that shot out in spikes. His face was concealed by a black mask over his nose and mouth, but Sakura was able to see his eyes. The right was dark gray or black, and the left was pale with blindness—it even had a vertical scar on it.

Oh shit—this was _Kakashi_, the captain of the guard. Sakura had just seen him the night before during the ruby heist. She'd even fought him for a short time. Her eyes briefly trailed down to Kakashi's leg, which appeared to be wrapped in the same linen bandages Sakura had around her hand. They were in the same place Sasori's arrow had grazed him last night.

Uh-oh.

"Ooo, who's this, Sakura?" Rin asked with a playful smile. "Is this fine gentleman courting you?"

Brought back to the situation at hand, Sakura's eyes widened. She and Tobi glanced at each other, and Sakura quickly jerked her head back toward Rin with nervous laughter and a rather heated blush. "Who, him? Nah, we're just friends! Don't be silly."

Tobi? Courting her? The thought was ridiculous. Mostly. Right? Oh god, stop picturing it! Stop blushing! Think about anything else—_anything_! Hidan wearing a grass skirt dancing around a totem pole!

…That worked.

Rin chuckled at the weird facial expression Sakura was making. "Ohh, I _see_," she said teasingly. "Well this is Kakashi. Kakashi, this is my friend Sakura. She's also one of my patients."

"I am? Oh!" She looked at her hand. It was almost completely healed now. She supposed she could have taken the bandages off, but they were still soothing. "I guess I am, heh-heh."

"I… see," Kakashi said slowly. He studied Sakura in a way that was far too keen for her tastes. She felt very exposed and vulnerable under his stare. "What is it you do for a living, Sakura?"

"I'm a… courier," Sakura said.

"A courier." It was hard to tell if his voice was skeptical or just bland.

"Yep," Sakura said a little awkwardly. "So if you need anything delivered, I'm your woman. Err, I mean, well, you get it."

"…Right."

"Sakura," Rin chuckled. "Aren't you going to introduce us?"

Sakura looked confused for a moment and then said, "Oh! Right. Uh, Tobi? This is my friend Rin. And, I guess Kakashi is your… date?" she guessed.

"Fiancé," Rin corrected with a blushing smile. She leaned into Kakashi a little, but Kakashi seemed as if he were still trying to place Sakura's face.

And Sakura, who was trying desperately to get Kakashi's attention _off of her_ so he wouldn't recognize her, didn't notice the growing tension that had returned to Tobi's shoulders.

"That mask," Kakashi said, drawing Sakura out of her paranoid thoughts. "I've seen it before."

Sakura's eyes widened—of course. It was the same mask she'd worn the night before! She didn't think it would be recognized by a guard, though. "Oh?" she squeaked. "I-it's a pretty cheap mask. There's probably tons just like it."

There was a pause before Kakashi said, "…I fought a female thief last night who wore a mask exactly like it."

Sakura's voice was about as high-pitched as it could get. "E-exactly?"

"To the most minute detail," Kakashi confirmed.

Sakura's throat went dry. Oh shit. Tobi couldn't bail her out of this one, could he? Like he did before? Then again, what exactly could he say? Hell, what could _she_ say? This was not good.

Rin looked up at Kakashi with a small frown. "Kakashi, that's rude. I'm sure there are plenty of masks just like that. Besides, Sakura has pink hair. That's really rare. What color hair did the thief have last night?"

"I didn't see her hair," Kakashi admitted. "She was wearing a black hood. But she was very agile." Kakashi's eyes trailed downward. "And she had an injury on her right hand that prevented her from fighting me at her full capacity."

"Well, that's just silly," Rin said. "I treated Sakura's hand myself. It was a scrape she got when we bumped into each other a couple days ago, nothing serious. How is your hand tonight, Sakura?"

"Oh, um, it's pretty much fine," Sakura said. She lifted up her hand and unwrapped the soft bandages. It was a little red with a few remnants of the scrapes, it was mostly healed.

"See?" Rin asked Kakashi. "Does that satisfy you?" Without waiting for an answer, she turned to Sakura with an apologetic smile. "I'm so sorry, Sakura. Kakashi just doesn't know how to leave his job for his _on-duty_ hours."

"Oh, it's okay, I understand," Sakura said with a nervous smile. "No need to apologize. The city guard keeps us safe at night, after all. I hope you catch your man! Err, woman…"

That was close. So, so close. But Kakashi would definitely be watching her from now on.

Rin chuckled at Sakura's silliness. "Well, we're going out for dinner. Perhaps I'll see you later during the festival, Sakura."

"Sure, that sounds great. Maybe we can play a few games."

"Sure!"

As soon as Rin and Kakashi were gone, Sakura leaned into one of the poles on the side of the street with streamers hanging down and slumped into it. She pressed her face against the cool stone, and her arms sagged at her sides. Her voice came out miserably as she said, "That was way too close."

"You're a terrible liar," Tobi said. His arms were folded across his chest, and he was looking in the direction Kakashi and Rin had left in. "It was you last night, wasn't it? That's what you were doing before you met up with me?"

"Maybe," Sakura said. Tobi saw right through her anyway. She straightened up and turned around so she could learn her back against the decorative pole instead.

"What were you doing fighting a guy like Kakashi?" Tobi asked. He finally tore his eyes away from the road and switched them to Sakura. He didn't sound amused—he sounded dead serious.

Sakura felt herself shrink a little under such an intense gaze. "I… it's complicated."

"You could have been killed," Tobi said. "Kakashi isn't someone you want to mess with. I've never seen him lose a fight."

"Well, he had to lose once, right?" Sakura asked with a frown. "That scar on his eye and all."

Tobi shook his head once. "He got that for… saving someone who didn't have the nerve to defend himself."

Sakura looked up at Tobi in shock. That sounded almost… _personal_. She pushed off from the pole and took a hesitant step toward Tobi. She bent forward a little, tilting her head back to look up into the holes of his mask at his dark eyes. "Tobi… do you know Kakashi?"

He was quiet for a long time. She almost thought he wouldn't answer her. He dodged everything that was personal. But he didn't dodge this. "Yes."

"And… he didn't know you," Sakura figured out. "Not with that mask."

"…Yes."

Sakura slowly put together the pieces of the puzzle. The mystery that was Tobi was gradually becoming clearer to her the more time she spent in his company. Still, every time she figured out an answer, it seemed she acquired even more questions in its place.

Still, even Sakura knew when she ought not to push too far. Patience and care was the best way to solve even the most complicated puzzles. Thieves were patient and careful—they had to be, or they tended to die.

Sakura reached toward Tobi and for the second time that night, she took his hand in hers. The black leather of his gloves felt cool to her skin, but it warmed under her touch. She looked up at him with a small smile, but Tobi seemed unable to move. She couldn't guess his thoughts exactly, but she did know that people only hid their past to the extent that Tobi did when it was filled with something horrible.

Tobi… was probably haunted by it to this day. The best thing she could do would be to offer a distraction.

"Tobi?" she asked, still giving him a shy smile.

He looked down at her, silent, waiting.

"Let's go play some games."

* * *

暁 **TK Grimm** 暁

* * *

**TK**: For all you Kakashi x Rin haters: shut up. I don't support this ship, not really—if I'm being honest, I'm indifferent to it. It's in here as a plot device, nothing more, and because I'm a glutton for angst. So before you start the pairing wars in reviews or worse, my inbox, just know that Rin's engagement bears like, _no significance_ on the actual story of this fan fiction. Seriously.

Also, you will find out more about the Doge's ball and why Sakura wants to go next chapter (minus the whole identity mystery). So, I didn't leave anything out, I just didn't _reveal _it yet. It's not hard to figure out though. Anyway, let's move on with our discussion.

**Today's topic**: Love Triangles

This is… a difficult question. XD

I mean, if it's done well, a love triangle can be _awesome_. But at the same time, heartbreaking. Sometimes you lean more toward one character, sometimes it's neither, sometimes both. But in every love triangle, there is always a loser, and that just makes me… I don't know, so incredibly sad. If I ever write a love triangle, I always end up giving the "loser" someone in the end, too, even if it's not the original object of their affections.

A few examples that come to mind are Kaname x Yuki x Zero from Vampire Knight or even Yuki x Tohru x Kyo from Fruits Basket. There are _many_ examples though. And I just remember biting my nails and feeling so _sorry_ for the guy (or girl) who has their heart broken. The ones that are _really _bad are the ones that show you the reaction of the other character in the love triangle whenever they see the other two together. Just that pure, raw heartbreak on their face is like, _ugh_, right in the feels for me.

And yet, despite how much it makes me cringe and bite my nails and sympathize with the struggles of the two people vying for the same person, I freaking _love _a well-written love triangle. Especially if it goes even further and has like, a love square/pentagon/etc. Like, Hinata likes Naruto who likes Sakura who likes Sasuke sort of thing. It's complex and full of unrequited feels (or it would be if Kishi wrote more about that sort of thing, but that's why we have emotional fan fiction), and I just can't get enough.

It's very tempting for me to put in a little competition in here, just to mix things up a bit. There's a lot of potential, especially with like, Rin, Sasuke, Naruto, and even Kakashi. One of the best things about AUs is the creative freedom.

So what do you guys think? Do you like love triangles or hate them? Do they make your heart ache for the loser like my sappy self? When you're watching/reading a love triangle (and it isn't revealed right away who is going to win the guy/girl), are you able to guess who the "winner" will be? Do you often approve of who the "winner" is in the end of the story?

Also, do you guys ever _write _love triangles in your fan fictions?


	5. Friend

_**TK**_: This chapter contains copious amounts of angst and lovesickness with a touch of humor to mix it up. It was also not included in my original outline and thus was made up on the spot word-by-word. And it's hot off the press, but I'm too lazy to hire a beta.

Extra reviews means extra-fast delivery on new chapters :D

Super Special Awesome _**2014 Naruto One-Shot Challenge**_. Details on my profile.

**[**ObiSaku. After being rescued by a Masked Man, Sakura makes it her mission to discover his identity—even if it means sneaking into the ballroom during Carnevale. AU.**]**

* * *

_**Carnevale**_

_TK Grimm_

* * *

**Chapter Five:**

**Friend**

* * *

_Flashback – The Morning of Carnevale_

* * *

"Sakura. We have a job for you."

Sakura looked up at Pein and Konan. She gave Ino an apologetic smile and left her friend in the Guild's basement bar while she followed her leaders out of the room. They traveled down a stone hallway illuminated by torches on either side. It was dark, and there were a few cobwebs, but it was home.

Pein entered a room on the right side of the hallway that led into a conference room the core members of the Guild used for their meetings. Further down the hall, Sakura would have found rooms with beds for her and her guildmates to use. Sakura followed Pein into the conference room. Konan closed the door behind them and sat down at Pein's right.

Sakura hesitantly took a seat in one of the chairs. The polished wooden table was cold and smooth to the touch. There was a tapestry hanging on the wall with the insignia of the Thieves' Guild: a red cloud with a white outline over a black background.

"We've found a buyer for the Doge's ruby," Pein began without preamble. "Unfortunately, due to circumstances you are no doubt already aware of, we can't sell it to him."

"Because it's in the lockbox," Sakura figured.

"Correct," said Pein. "It would take too long to commission a forgery of a Senju signet ring, especially since we don't have an actual one at our disposal. Of course, if we did, we wouldn't be in this situation in the first place."

Sakura nodded slowly. "So you need someone to steal one. …Me?"

Konan inclined her head. "You are one of our best thieves. And given these particular circumstances, the plan we have come up with requires an operative of your talents."

Sakura perked up. "Which talents? Picking pockets? Mad acrobatic skills?"

"Carnival games," Pein said with a completely straight face.

Sakura nearly fell off her chair. "Wait, what? Are you serious?"

"You are not our only skilled thief in the Guild," Pein reminded her. "However, you do possess a certain knack for those games that no one else does."

Konan elaborated for her. "Every year, the Doge of Venice throws a grand ball on the third night of Carnevale. In his invitations, he sends a golden mask for each guest to wear to the ball. It is a requirement for everyone attending. The masks are all identical save for a serial code engraved on the back of each one. If not for that, we would simply forge a fake mask and continue the plan."

Sakura knew where this was going. She was a huge fan of the games at Carnevale, so naturally, she knew about the prizes. "And every year," she said, finishing for Konan, "the person who wins the most games during Carnevale obtains one of those golden masks—their own personal invitation to the Doge's Ball."

"Precisely," said Pein, with a nod of acknowledgement. "As I'm sure you've figured out, your job is to obtain the Golden Mask—by any means necessary. If you cannot obtain it through winning the games alone, then you are to steal it. Use it to gain access into the Doge's Ball. From there, one of our Guild members will meet you and act as your partner for the rest of the job."

"Partner?" Sakura asked, puzzled. "Why will I need a partner? And how are you going to get _him_ into the ball? Or her," she added, realizing that it could be a girl (though that was unlikely).

"He will already be there," Konan assured her. "He has already been told of the job and knows what to expect. Unfortunately, he is not someone who can disappear long enough to obtain a signet ring, or we would simply send him alone."

"I see," Sakura said. Except she didn't really. But okay.

"It's up to you to gain access into the Doge's Ball," Pein told her, making things simplified. "Then, you'll meet your partner, and he will provide you with an opportunity to get the ring. He will also be your means of escape. Can you handle it?"

Sakura nodded. "Play some games, mingle at the ball, steal a ring, escape. No problem."

* * *

暁 **TK Grimm** 暁

* * *

_Present Time – Second Day of Carnevale_

* * *

Ino was Sakura's closest friend. She was busty, ballsy, and bawdy, and Sakura adored her like the sister she never had. Of course, Ino wasn't without her flaws. She could be bossy and borderline obnoxious, and secrets tended to have a short lifespan with her love of gossiping, but she meant well, and she would never deliberately betray someone.

The main events of Carnevale were held at night. As such, during the day, Sakura spent most of her time with Ino talking about the various goings on the night before. Like the rest of Venice, they'd stayed up late the first night of Carnevale and slept in the following morning. It was early afternoon by the time Sakura and Ino got to spend time together to chat.

"A night _off_," Ino practically gushed. "Konan must be feeling crazy generous to give me a night off during _Carnevale_."

The two of them walked side-by-side through San Polo's red light district. It, too, was decorated for Carnevale, but it wasn't as lavish as some of the more well-off sections of the city. It was an odd time of year, that was for sure—everyone was wearing masks. Seeing masks everywhere made Sakura's thoughts wander to Tobi.

"But go figure," Ino went on, oblivious to Sakura's mind, "the one time I finally get a night off during Carnevale and _you _have a job. We can't even celebrate properly!"

Sakura had ended up spending the rest of the festivities that evening with Tobi. He'd been distracted and honestly a bit depressed, but once she made him play a few games with her, he seemed to get better. Sakura enjoyed the ego boost she got when it became clear that she was one of the few people able to switch his mood like that.

"Then again, I guess the ball is _tomorrow_ night, so as long as you're still playing those silly carnival games, we can probably hang out, right, Sakura? Sakura? Hey, Forehead!"

Sakura jumped, startled from her train of thought. She looked at Ino and realized she didn't have the slightest idea what Ino had been saying. Yikes. Probably safe just to agree with her, then.

"Um, yeah—you're probably right."

"Of course I am," Ino scoffed as she waved her hand in dismissal a couple of times. "And I know just how I want to spend the night!"

"Huh?"

Ino leaned toward Sakura. She lowered her voice and spoke in a conspiratorial tone. "We can try to find the identity of your masked wonder boy!"

Sakura staggered backward with a yelp and flailed her arms several times to maintain her balance. Once she recovered, she glanced around, as if it were possible anyone were listening in on the conversation of two gossiping girls, and then shushed Ino loudly. "Shh! We're not doing that!"

Ino's jaw dropped. "What? But why? Don't you want to—" she gasped, and her eyes lit up. "You saw his face already, didn't you?"

"What? No, of course not," Sakura said. "Well, I saw a little, but not—look, that doesn't matter! I'm not… I mean… I don't know; it wouldn't feel right to trick him."

Ino stared at Sakura for a moment, taking in her friend's posture and forlorn expression. She leaned in close to peer at Sakura's face through narrowed eyes. Once she found what she was looking for, she huffed and stood up straight. "I knew it. You're falling for him."

Sakura gasped. "I am not."

"You are," Ino said sagely. "You're inexperienced, so of course you're going to fall for the first guy who stumbles into your life."

"Deidara and Sasori—"

"They don't count," Ino said. "They're either secretly gay or in love with their art. I've ruled them out long ago. But this Uchiha guy of yours…" She gave a dramatic sigh and brought the back of her hand up to her forehead as if suffering from the heat. "It's all my fault. I should have introduced you to a man sooner. Or at least got you a nice male prostitute for your eighteenth birthday. Why didn't I do that? I'm a horrible friend!"

"Ino!" Sakura said, a bit mortified. She glanced around again to make sure no one was listening and then resumed walking. The longer they lingered in one place, the higher the chance someone would _hear _Ino talking like that. She dragged her friend along and said, "You're not a horrible friend. Good friends don't get each other prostitutes! No offense," she added, recalling Ino's line of work.

"None taken," Ino said bluntly. Unless you were insulting her beauty or her friends, Ino was pretty hard to offend. "Still, while the mystery behind finding out what this guy looks like is certainly interesting, I don't know if pursuing a relationship with him is in your best interest. Didn't you say he was in love with someone else?"

Sakura's shoulders fell a little. Her previous embarrassment was forgotten. "Yes… he is."

Ino raised her hand to hold her chin in a thoughtful pose. "There's no sense carrying a torch for someone else. Best to just move on with your life and find a new love. Otherwise that's just more time you're spending unhappy when you _could _be doing something productive with your life."

Sakura managed a weak chuckle. "That's pretty wise, coming from you."

Lucky for her, the blonde missed the slightly backhanded compliment. "Hey, thanks! So, what's the other woman like?"

"I don't know," Sakura said. "He doesn't talk about her. He just said she's in love with someone else."

Ino groaned loudly. "That figures. Well, he sounds pretty hopeless if he's clinging to the idea of her even when she's already in love with another. But I guess you could always convince him to give you a shot instead. If you're set on this guy, that is."

"Ino," Sakura said awkwardly, "I really don't wanna talk about—"

"You _are_," Ino said, her teal eyes widening. "Well, that settles it. There's only one thing left to do."

"Huh?"

"You're going to have to seduce him."

"WHAT."

"_Seduce him_," Ino repeated, which made a few people turn curious stares toward them. Ino glared at one as she passed by. "Hey, you got a problem? No? Then keep moving!" The woman stuck up her nose and continued walking down the street.

Sakura was suddenly very grateful she was wearing her mask. Then again, her pink hair was pretty recognizable. So much for going anonymous. "Ino," she said weakly. "I don't… think seduction is really my thing."

"Well, obviously," said Ino. She tugged Sakura along and the two kept walking at their leisurely pace. "But you like this guy, right? Don't start with the crap, Sakura—I can see right through it."

Sakura raised her hand and pressed it to her chest. She could feel her heart beating. It was calmer than it was when Tobi was around. "I… how do you know if you're in love?"

"Well… that one I can't tell you," Ino said. "It's something you learn, not something you can be taught. But I can at least point you in the right direction." Ino shifted her gaze toward Sakura for a moment, taking in her friend's sad, confused expression. Poor girl just didn't have a clue. "That pain you're feeling right now, whenever you think about how much he loves that other woman… that's a pretty good sign."

"I'm not going to seduce him," Sakura said quietly. "Whatever this is that I'm feeling… that doesn't matter. You can't make someone feel something they don't. I… I'm not going to force Tobi to feel anything. He's… he's so sad. I see it every day. I just want him to be happy, even if he could never feel like this… about me."

Ino watched Sakura for a moment, her previous amusement fading away. She put her hand on Sakura's shoulder, a firm touch, before she let her arm slide back down to her side. "Well, m'dear… that's love."

"It hasn't been that long though," Sakura said, hardly a protest.

"It doesn't need to," Ino said. "Sometimes it takes years, sometimes it takes hours." Ino stopped walking, and she pulled Sakura off to the side of the paved street so she could give her friend a serious, level look. "I can't tell you what to do. But I will tell you this. If something is important to you, if it means enough to you, then you should fight for it. Go out kicking and screaming. Don't just roll over and give up. If you can just let go of it, just like that, then you didn't want it that bad to begin with. That doesn't mean spend the rest of your life pining after this guy, but it means _don't go down without a fight_. Make him see that he has options. I can't promise anything, because there are no guarantees with love, no matter what the storybooks say, but at least you'll be able to move on without regrets, knowing you tried. And who knows… it might just lead to something great. Ooo, look! Shiny things!"

Sakura watched as Ino turned toward a merchant cart where the vendor was selling jewelry he'd brought with him from Turkey. Ino was gushing about some turquoise pendant, but Sakura paid it little heed. She was too busy repeating Ino's speech in her head. When Ino wanted to, she could be surprisingly wise. She was a lot smarter than people gave her credit for, and she was also a very good friend.

Sakura didn't know the circumstances for why Ino left her lavish lifestyle as heiress to the Yamanaka family, but despite working at a brothel and being a part time thief (Sakura grinned when she saw Ino cleverly pocket the turquoise pendant right under the rich merchant's nose), Ino seemed happy. She took her life and made the most of it, rolled with the punches.

Sakura admired that. And she appreciated all the advice Ino took the time to give her.

She turned her gaze toward the sky where the seagulls flew overhead. When she closed her eyes and breathed in deeply through her nose, she could almost smell the Mediterranean. She opened them again and looked at the endless blue above her.

Tobi was a mystery to her. She didn't know his face or much about him. She didn't even know if Tobi was his real name. But despite not having those details, she felt as if she was truly getting to know _him_. Who he was without all of those details there to distract her. Just him.

And the more she got to know him, the more she realized her fondness for him ran deeper than she'd ever intended it to.

* * *

暁 **TK Grimm** 暁

* * *

Obito sat on a narrow ledge atop one of the roofs of the Dorsoduro district. He was out of sight of any archers that might be patrolling, shielded by pillars and taller rooftops. He faced the sea, felt the salty air run through his untidy black hair and let it fill his lungs with every breath he took. When he turned his head to look down, he could see Rin's clinic where she healed the sick and injured every day.

She had always loved Kakashi. He knew that, even back when the three of them were children. He never accepted it back then, but as he grew older, he began to tolerate it more and more. When Obito saved Kakashi's life by pushing him out of the way of the rockslide, a part of Obito knew that Rin and Kakashi would probably end up together. At the time, he had been fine with it. He was going to die, and the two people who meant the most to him would eventually find happiness.

Still… all of that didn't prepare him for his return to Venice a couple years ago with Madara. He wasn't dead—he was alive and well. And Rin… Rin was being courted by Kakashi, just as Obito envisioned she would be. He knew it would happen, and a part of him had accepted it long ago, but seeing it with his own two eyes was…

Painful. So, so painful.

He didn't reveal himself to her. Or to Kakashi. They both thought he was dead, and if he were to reveal himself to them, it would just throw a wrench into their lives. It couldn't have been easy for them after Obito died. He knew they probably mourned him for years.

Rin… he'd made Rin cry. But now, she was smiling. She was making friends and saving lives and going to Carnevale with stupid-Kakashi—she was _happy_. After everything she'd been through with her parents, her apprenticeship, and that rockslide, Rin deserved this happiness.

And so, he watched over her, a silent, anonymous sentinel that kept the demons at bay and protected her when her useless fiancé could not. It was all Obito could do.

The sun dipped down into the sea ahead of him, and suddenly, the sky was alight with fireworks. The second night of Carnevale had begun.

Obito placed the orange, flame-patterned mask on his face with a soft _click_. He stood up and slid effortlessly off the roof. He landed deftly on his feet and suppressed a weary sigh. In his teenage years, he'd been clumsy and lacking the proper training Kakashi had. It didn't stop him from trying, but given his abilities now, the difference was nothing short of ironic.

Truth be told, he wasn't sure why he spent so much time with Sakura since meeting her. He hadn't planned on spending Carnevale with her. He was probably going to spend it tailing Rin and making sure she was safe. But Kakashi was with her, and Obito grudgingly admitted that Kakashi was capable for now. Perhaps… it wouldn't be amiss if he were to indulge himself a little.

It wasn't a difficult task to find Sakura. Even with the myriad of people parading about in masks with endless booze and florins spilling out their pockets, Sakura stuck out like a sore thumb with her head of pink hair. That, and like the good little thief she was, she would be wherever there was money or something shiny she could get her sticky fingers on.

Sure enough, he found her and a young blonde woman browsing a dress store on the southern edge of San Polo where it meets Dorsoduro. It was near the canals, and there didn't seem to be many people coming and going. With all the distractions of Carnevale, he supposed it was as good a time as any to shop without interruptions.

Still, if Sakura was spending time with her friend, Obito didn't want to intrude. He'd distracted himself with her presence enough. He had more than enough baggage for both of them anyway, and he didn't want to bring Sakura down with all of it. She was light and happiness, and he wanted to preserve that quality in her.

Of course, if she was going to go out at night picking fights with guards like Kakashi, that was going to be a bit difficult to do.

"Tobi!"

He'd lingered too long and been spotted. Obito looked at Sakura, who was smiling widely at him, and he felt the corners of his lips tugging upwards. Her joy was contagious. Ever since they'd met, she'd tried to infect him with her happiness, and a lot of the time, it even worked.

Sakura scurried over to him and said, "I thought I'd have to go looking for you. Come in, we're almost done!"

Before Obito could protest, Sakura took his hand and pulled him into the small shop. There were many fine dresses inside, from velvet to silk, and a part of him wondered just how Sakura was going to afford something like that—if she was even buying something for herself, that is.

"Ino's in the dressing room," Sakura explained. "We came in here to pick out a dress I can wear to the ball, but Ino ended up trying on half the store just because."

Ino must be the name of her friend. Obito looked Sakura up and down. She was wearing her usual sleeveless white dress with the tight red corset. Her white, flower-patterned mask was tied around her head, but she had it pulled up like a headband at the moment while she browsed the dress store. She certainly didn't look like someone who would be a customer at a store like this, that was for sure.

"Still have your heart set on winning the Golden Mask, then?" he asked.

"Yep," Sakura replied with a grin. "I'm well on my way, too. I've won more games than almost anyone! I just have a couple other records to beat, and that mask is as good as mine."

He chuckled at little at her enthusiasm. Being around Sakura was special—it was different than anything else Obito had. She had nothing to do with his past or his family. She wasn't connected to any of that. But she was sweet and fun to be around. She helped him forget about the past, about Madara and the present, and about the coup d'état and the future.

When he was with Sakura, he could be himself, let down his guard, and laugh like the rest of the world wasn't even there. Obito doubted Sakura had any idea just how much that meant to him.

"And should you win the Golden Mask," he said, drawing her smiling face back to him. "What then? You'll go to the ball, and what, find Prince Charming?"

Sakura blushed and averted her gaze for a moment. "You know I don't believe in that. But… who knows. Anything could happen." She lifted her green eyes up to his and smiled shyly at him. "At the ball tomorrow… do you think maybe we could dance?"

Obito's eyebrows rose. He hadn't danced since he was a teenager, being forced into it with all the other highborn boys his age. Had the circumstances been any different, he wasn't even planning on attending the Doge's ball. "I don't think…" he trailed off when he saw the way her hopeful smile started to falter, and sadness began to creep into her eyes. Obito sighed heavily and brought his hand up to his mask-covered face. "Sure. We'll dance. Assuming you even know _how_."

The serious atmosphere vanished, and Sakura playfully punched him in the arm. "Of course I know how to dance, you jerk!"

Obito tried to hide his wince, and when Sakura turned away from him, he rubbed his arm painfully. How such a tiny girl can pack such a ridiculous punch was beyond him. Sakura's rage made Rin's seem _tame_ by comparison. It was another difference between them. Despite their similarities—that light that drew Obito in like a moth to the flame especially—the two of them were vastly different.

Rin was kind, gentle, pure—something to protect and cherish.

Sakura was…

Sakura was…

"Okay, how about this one?" asked Sakura's blonde friend, Ino, as she strutted out of the dressing room like a peacock. She was wearing a purple silk dress with ruffles and lace. It was very elaborate with intricate gold and teal trimmings.

"It's lovely," Sakura giggled. "But when will you ever wear it?"

Ino scoffed. "I'll wear it when you steal me a golden mask so I can go to the ball with you."

"As what, my date?" Sakura asked.

"Why not! Unless—" Ino broke off when she locked eyes with Obito, who had been watching the exchange between the two friends. A slow, wry smile spread over Ino's face that looked decidedly evil on the pretty blonde. "Ohhh, you must be _Tobi_. I've heard a lot about you."

Obito's curious gaze turned toward Sakura. "Is that so?"

Sakura's face turned about as pink as her hair, and she fidgeted with a string on her dress. "Um, maybe. Oh, look at the time! I better go, Ino—those games aren't going to win themselves! Bye!" Sakura quickly began pushing Obito toward the exit of the dress shop.

"Wait, I didn't get to ask him if his intentions were honorable yet!"

"Shut up!"

Once they were outside, Sakura closed the door to the shop and sighed with relief. She gave Obito an embarrassed smile and said, "Shall we?"

"I don't know," Obito said, amused. "I don't think my intentions are very honorable."

"Oh, really?" Sakura replied. "Maybe I should find some other poor sap to drag along to all those games and watch me bask in victory!"

Obito's voice was rather droll. "Well, when you put it that way, my intentions become even _less _honorable."

"Oh, hush," Sakura said. She took his hand and pulled him toward San Polo. "We're going to my turf this time. I will show you everything awesome in San Polo."

"You've already lost me, because you just used _awesome_ and _San Polo_ in the same sentence."

"Hey!"

Despite his teasing complaints, Obito indulged Sakura. He let her lead him around while she chattered on about this and that. Obito listened attentively, trying not to think about how distracting her presence was. It wasn't just the fact that she helped him forget all the turmoil going on in his life, but also that she made him forget what he came here to do in the first place.

He never meant to meet Sakura that day in Dorsoduro. He'd been checking on Rin when that guard started harassing Sakura, and he'd intervened on instinct. And now, she'd wormed her way into his life, demanding his time and attention as if she were entitled to it.

The thing was, he didn't really mind. He liked indulging her, making her smile and laugh, and spending time with her. It was a reprieve, a brief moment of solace away from everything that was _awful_ in his life. None of that mattered to her. Sure, she wanted to know about him, but she didn't pry. She didn't ask questions if she didn't think he wanted to answer.

All she ever asked of him was a bit of his time. It was the least Obito could do, to give her that much. It made him wonder if Sakura saw him as a friend.

It made him wonder what _he _saw _her_ as.

They played a few games into the night, and Sakura's tally got higher on the list for the Golden Mask. Obito treated her to all the carnival snacks she desired, anything to see that megawatt smile on her face again. When she showed him that smile, it was just for him. Obito relished it.

Halfway through the evening, they sat side-by-side on the edge of the Canal Grande that split the city into two halves. A gondola was nearby with a boatman standing atop it waiting to ferry someone wherever they wished to go. Behind them, people danced in the square and chatted amiably.

"I love Carnevale," Sakura said as she adjusted her mask to rest a little more comfortably on her nose.

"For the games?" Obito guessed.

Sakura chuckled and shook her head. "It's the one time of year the whole city goes out and celebrates with each other. Neighbors, friends, family—they're all wearing masks, so their identities don't matter. You can be a commoner or a noble and mingle all the same. Everyone's out there drinking, dancing, laughing, playing games, and just… _living_. It's a week-long celebration of life. Isn't that wonderful?"

Obito looked over at Sakura. She was smiling at the waters of the canal and looked perfectly at ease. Despite the fact that her life couldn't have been easy—it probably still wasn't, since she was a thief—she still managed to have this sort of outlook. It was admirable. It was remarkable.

It was truly beautiful.

"Yes," he said, realizing she was waiting for an answer. "I suppose it is."

Sakura smiled at him, and Obito's heart squeezed in his chest. "Want to go for a boat ride?" she asked. She tilted her head in the direction of the gondola with a hopeful expression.

Obito chuckled. "Sure." He stood up and held out his hand to her. Sakura took it with a happy smile and let him help her up. She didn't let go of his hand once she was up, though. Instead, she wrapped her fingers around his and held his hand as they walked to the gondola.

Obito passed a few florins to the gondolier and watched the expressions pass over Sakura's face while she visibly debating stealing those coins or not. In the end, she apparently opted not to (probably because she caught the look he was giving her) and sat down in the small boat. Obito joined her, and the gondolier quietly began taking them up the Canal Grande.

"Tobi," Sakura said, her voice surprisingly serious. She was leaning back with her fingers dipped into the water as the boat traveled slowly onward. Her eyes were pointed in the direction of the ripples she was making with her gentle movements. "The woman you're in love with." Obito tensed, holding his breath for some reason. Sakura seemed to be debating what she was about to say. "Did you fight for her?"

That… wasn't what he expected. "What?"

Sakura blushed a little, but she wasn't smiling. "I just… I mean, you know. You said she was in love with someone else. Did you fight for her? To um, try to change her mind?"

What a… strange question. Obito didn't know what to think of it. "I… fight for her? No, I… I want her to be happy. I've left her in peace."

"Hmm," Sakura quietly hummed. "She must be an amazing woman."

"Why do you say that?" Obito asked warily.

Sakura smiled at him, but it didn't reach her eyes. "To have a man as amazing as you who loves her."

Obito couldn't keep eye-contact and looked away. "…I'm not amazing, Sakura."

"Sure you are," Sakura said.

She sat up in the gondola and reached toward him. She put her hand to the side of his face, and Obito tensed once more, thinking she was going to try to remove the mask. He braced himself, ready to swat her hand away and keep the mask in place, but all Sakura did was hold her hand there. It was… an intimate gesture, like a lover's touch.

"You saved me that day, with the guard," she reminded him. "He'd have cut off my hand if he saw that dagger. And what's a thief with one hand supposed to do?"

"Become a courier," he said automatically. It was a half-hearted joke in reference to Sakura's lie about her profession the night before, when they were talking to Rin and Kakashi. Obito's mind was a bit unfocused, but humor had been his defense for years.

Sakura snorted, but she had a small smile on her face. She lowered her hand from Obito's mask to rest it on his knee instead. "You're a good man, Tobi. Any woman would be lucky to have you. I just… want you to know you have options, you know?"

She was blushing again and looking away from him. Obito's instincts were telling him that Sakura was leading up to something, that one of those options was _her_, but that couldn't be right. Sakura was…

Sakura was light. Happiness. She was charming, hilarious, and single-handedly reminded him what _fun_ was.

Obito… was jaded, penitent, and had a hard time finding reasons to continue to walk the Earth even on the best of days.

"Options," he repeated, his tone distracted.

"Yes," Sakura said, still unable to look at him. "Like… um… like…" she bit her lip, the words on the tip of her tongue. "Like m—"

The gondola stopped, and Obito realized they were back in San Polo. It was inconvenient timing. Still, the moment was gone, and Sakura had pressed her lips tightly together in what honestly looked like shy embarrassment.

Obito stood and stepped off the gondola. He held out his hand to Sakura, and she let him help her out of the small boat. He wasn't sure how to address the subject they were just on—he wasn't sure if he _wanted_ to. But the silence now passing between them was somehow more deafening than the fireworks over their heads.

"Sakura—"

"Tobi—"

They stared at each other.

Sakura smiled sheepishly and said, "You first."

"No, what is it?" Obito pressed. He had to know. He had to.

Sakura swallowed down the lump in her throat. She shifted a little on her feet. "I just…" Her shoulders sagged, and she lowered her head. "…just wanted to know if you wanted to get churros again."

It wasn't what she'd been about to say, Obito knew. But it seemed Sakura had lost her nerve. He wouldn't press farther. She gave him his privacy, so he would extend the same courtesy to her.

Instead, he held out his hand to her once more. "Sure."

By the end of the night, Sakura tallied up her victories in the games and squealed with delight when she saw that she had the highest score. "I've done it!" she proudly told Obito. "The Golden Mask is mine!"

He chuckled at her and said, "Alright then. Let's go get it."

The two of them traversed the partying crowds to get to the center of Dorsoduro where the highly sought after Golden Mask would be given to the winner of the most games. Sakura had worked hard for that mask, and even though her purposes for it were undoubtedly nefarious, Obito still believed she deserved it. She won a lot of games over the past two nights to earn it, after all.

The announcer stood atop a small stage with a wooden arch decorated in flowering vines of sweet pea. He was a short, balding man who was missing one of his front teeth but still grinned widely at the gathered spectators he was about to address.

"Ladies and gentlemen! It is my honor to present to you the winner of the Golden Mask! As you know, this mask is an invitation to our beloved Doge's Grand Ball of Carnevale in the heart of Venice! Many of you have toiled relentlessly for this mask, but only one lucky winner may obtain it! And that winner is…

"The lovely Lady Karin!"

Obito's eyebrows rose in surprise, and he looked over to see the same look of muted shock on Sakura's face. They'd been meticulous with tallying up Sakura's victories—the mask should have been hers.

And yet, when the red-haired woman stood up on the small stage, the announcer gave her the Golden Mask.

* * *

暁 **TK Grimm** 暁

* * *

**Today's topic**: Alternate Universe / AU stories

Those of you who have read my stories before know that I primarily write Naruto AU. Don't get me wrong—I _love_ the ninja world. And I have loads of stories on my favorites list that aren't AU. I think non-AU stories are kick ass. But when I write, I try to go out of my way to write something people haven't seen before, and honestly, all the best non-AU plots have been written already XD

I think a well-written AU can be _awesome_. It requires a lot of creativity, because the writer has to create a whole other universe with parallels to the canon one. It also gives you the opportunity to introduce characters and ideas that canon doesn't permit, like Sakura being in the Thieves' Guild with who we know was Akatsuki in canon.

When it comes to reading stories, I don't have a preference. I'll read AU, non-AU, or even simply canon if the writing is good and the story keeps me intrigued.

But for writing, ah, I just love AU. I always worry when I don't write AU that I might get a fact wrong and have someone point it out and be like, "Ermahgurd, how dare you forget that such and such is impossible without blah!" If I write a story in an AU, then the universe is mine, and I don't have to follow canon and all of its rules. I don't have to worry about messing up someone's jutsu or forgetting that this person actually killed that one's great aunt twice-removed or some other such nonsense that some nit-picking reader points out. It's my universe, so it's my rules, and I'm basically a god XD

What about you guys? Do you write AU or Narutoverse? Do you prefer to read one or the other? What are some things that you like about AUs? Some things you hate?

**Bonus question**: If you are a fan of AUs, what is the best AU story you've ever read and who is the writer?


	6. Dance

_**TK**_: I'm sorry about that mini cliffhanger, guys XD At least I update quickly, eh? This chapter finally gets us to the moment we've all been waiting for: the Doge's Ball. While the summary kind of implies that it's the main point of the story (I seriously need to update that summary as this story has deviated far from that path since then), it obviously is not. Still, it's hopefully some pretty exciting stuff, and I hope you all enjoy the chapter nonetheless.

We get to learn who Sakura's partner for this job is. There's a bit of angst, a touch of fluff, and a smidgen of action at the beginning.

Also, I apologize for the end of this chapter in advance, heh.

Super Special Awesome _**2014 Naruto One-Shot Challenge**_. Details on my profile.

**[**ObiSaku. After being rescued by a Masked Man, Sakura makes it her mission to discover his identity—even if it means sneaking into the ballroom during Carnevale. AU.**]**

* * *

_**Carnevale**_

_TK Grimm_

* * *

**Chapter Six:**

**Dance**

* * *

Sakura stared at the Golden Mask in absolute shock as the red-haired woman, Karin, held it up to display it to the cheering crowd. She couldn't believe it. She'd won all the games. She tallied her score herself. Tobi even confirmed it. That mask should have been _hers_.

Something wasn't right.

Almost robotically, Sakura walked forward. She stopped when she felt Tobi's hand reach out and take hold of her forearm.

"What are you going to do?" he asked.

"Relax," Sakura told him. She felt surprisingly calm. The initial shock had worn off (sort of), and she was left with an eerie sense of clarity. "I'm not going to make a scene."

Tobi didn't sound very convinced. "Sakura…"

Sakura turned her head toward him with a smile. "Tobi… I'm a thief. When I can't win fair and square, I'm not above cheating." There was a pause. "Don't worry. I won't hurt anyone."

"That's not what I'm worried about," Tobi said. "I couldn't care less about the girl. But if she had the influence to get them to give you the mask, how do you know if you can safely steal it?"

"It's okay," she said. "I know what I'm doing. I'll see you at the ball, okay? You promised me a dance."

"Sakura—"

But she was already sprinting away.

* * *

暁 **TK Grimm** 暁

* * *

Sakura stuck to the shadows as if they were her second home. The Doge's ball was held in the Cannaregio district. Karin would have to travel north from Dorsoduro and all the way through San Polo to get there. San Polo was the Thieves' Guild's territory—Karin didn't stand a chance.

Sakura found Ino in the crowd. Her ridiculously huge purple dress was an eyesore and easy to pick out. Sakura kept her gaze on Karin while she leaned over and spoke to Ino in a hushed tone. "Inform the Guild."

"I'm on it," Ino replied. She whipped out her fan and giggled amicably, as if Sakura had just told her a joke, and began to walk away.

Meanwhile, Sakura began to tail Karin through San Polo. She wasn't wearing the mask, but she was clutching it to her chest like a child's prized toy. She had two armored guards following her. There was a crest on the back of her dress that Sakura didn't see while she was on the stage. It was a red circle with a black spiral—the Uzumaki family.

Sakura was close enough to be within earshot of Karin while she talked to her guards. "I can't believe it worked! All you have to do is flash a few hundred florins in a man's face, and he'll do whatever you want! Now I can go to the ball and see Lord Sasuke again!"

So that's it—Karin had bribed the announcer to give her the mask instead. Sakura scowled. She didn't usually give a damn what family someone was from, but when they just threw money around like that, that's when she got annoyed. She spent too many years barely scraping by before Kakuzu found her wandering the streets. To see this… this _girl_ talk about throwing a hundred florins around as if they were as plentiful as the leaves on a tree made her insides bubble with rage.

Just in time, for the distraction had arrived. Ino and a small gaggle of other prostitutes who worked at the Red Moon approached Karin and her two guards. They giggled and shamelessly fanned themselves while they lowered the straps of their dresses to garner the attention of the guards.

Karin started yelling on the spot, but that's when Sasori stepped in. He held out a single red rose to Karin and leaned toward her, speaking in hushed tones like an intrigued lover. Karin's face reddened with her blush, and while Sasori kept her attention on his face, his words, his lips, he expertly switched the rose with the Golden Mask Karin held loosely. Sasori held the Golden Mask behind his back as Karin lifted the rose to her nose and inhaled its sweet scent, completely enamored by whatever romantic words Sasori was giving her.

Sakura took that as the signal. She walked just past Sasori and swiped the Golden Mask from behind his back. "Thank you," she whispered under her breath. She pressed it to her chest so Karin wouldn't see and kept on walking as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Heh… that girl had no idea who she was messing with.

* * *

暁 **TK Grimm** 暁

* * *

Once Sakura had the Golden Mask, she traveled quickly through the streets to reach the red light district. There, she passed by the familiar brothels until she reached the Red Moon.

Konan was inside waiting for her. The blue-haired woman stood with her arms folded over her chest. Her gown was a deep cerulean that matched her Carnevale mask. The golden accents brought out the amber color of her eyes.

"Did you run into any trouble?" she asked.

"Nothing I couldn't handle," Sakura said. "Sasori and Ino took care of it. What's the next step?"

Konan accepted the Golden Mask from Sakura and exchanged it for a lovely dress of fine, luxurious white silks. There were many intricate silver trimmings that looked like flowers, only visible upon close inspection. It shimmered in the dim lighting of the brothel candles.

"Put this on," Konan said. "Golden Mask or no, you'll be expected to dress the part at the Doge's Ball, otherwise you'll attract too much attention. I'll fix your hair."

The dress was absolutely stunning with off-shoulder sleeves, lace, and enough ruffles to make it twice the size of normal dresses. But Sakura's hair was another story. It was cut short, just above her shoulders, because long hair only got in the way in the life of a thief. But Konan was a professional, and being the head matron of a whorehouse apparently left her with many beauty tips. She twisted and curled and pinned Sakura's hair with several silver flowers.

By the end, she looked beautiful. Sakura hardly recognized herself in the mirror. Konan handed her the Golden Mask and gave one final warning:

"Don't ever take it off."

The Golden Mask was more masculine than Sakura would have liked, but all of the guests at the Doge's ball would be wearing masks identical to it. It had a pointed chin and angular jaw as well as a neutral expression on the face. Unlike Sakura's flower mask, which only covered her eyes, this mask covered her entire face, making her truly anonymous.

Sakura left the Red Moon with two Guild members to escort her. It wasn't that she needed an escort, but with the Golden Mask and such a large dress, she would have looked like quite a target to anyone who coveted it.

Her guards were Hidan and Kakuzu. Kakuzu was Sakura's mentor in the Thieves' Guild and therefore responsible for her. Hidan was Kakuzu's partner back when the two of them were on active duty. Hidan was an attractive man who'd come into wealth in the Guild thanks to a few lucky heists that went his way. Now he was more of a Guild fence than an active thief. He was known for his foul mouth and violent tendencies, but Sakura wasn't intimidated by him. She had more agility than Hidan and Kakuzu combined and knew she could dodge Hidan until he got tired anyway—not that he'd bother attacking her in the first place.

"So who's my partner going to be for this job?" Sakura asked.

"Not a clue," Hidan grumbled. "Nobody tells me anything anymore. Except _here, buy some useless shit that I stole and pay me for it_. Yeah, right."

Sakura chuckled at Hidan's misfortune. The life of a fence didn't suit him. Still, Hidan was like Deidara in that he tended to get carried away on his jobs for the Guild. But where Deidara's antics usually ended up in things getting blown up, Hidan's tended to wind up more on the bloody side. It was probably a wise choice to remove him from the active roster on the Guild.

"He will contact you once you're inside," Kakuzu said. "Even with that mask, he'll be able to find you."

Sakura frowned and tugged on a lock of her pink hair. It bounced back into place. Konan had been meticulous with the style. It could probably rain, and her hair wouldn't move an inch.

"I still don't see why we can't just _kill_ some Senju fucker for his ring," Hidan said. "If it had been up to me, I'd have had that damn box open days ago. All this roundabout shit with games and dancing…"

"Be careful, or you will die," Kakuzu warned.

"Telling _me_ that?"

"We're a guild of _thieves_," Sakura reminded him. "Not murderers. If we can get what we want without killing, then all the better for us."

"She's right," Kakuzu said. "The Guild relies on its secrecy. How long do you think we would stay anonymous with you rampaging through the streets like some religious cult fanatic?"

"Tch," said Hidan. "Gangin' up on me and shit…"

Once they reached the Cannaregio district on the northern side of Venice, the people walking around went from slightly shabby clothes to fancy, more elaborate gowns and outfits. Crests of the more prominent families of Venice were stitched onto their clothing. A few of them even wore golden masks of their own and were headed in the same direction.

Hidan and Kakuzu dropped Sakura off in front of the gates to the grand ballroom where the Doge's Ball was being held. To Sakura's horror, the guard at the front was none other than Kakashi—Rin's fiancé. Perhaps it was because of his keen eyes and perceptive nature, but there was something about Kakashi that made Sakura very nervous. She had a feeling he saw right through her, he just lacked the legal evidence to do anything about it.

Kakashi held a long scroll in his hands as well as a quill pen. "…Mask?"

It took Sakura a moment to realize what he wanted. She jumped, startled, and removed the Golden Mask to hand it to him. Kakashi's eyes studied her face for a moment before he looked at the back of the mask and recorded the number on it on his scroll. That was why they couldn't forge a fake mask—each one had a serial code, and if you had a fake code, you couldn't get in.

Kakashi offered it back to her, but as Sakura moved to take it, Kakashi refused to let go. "Your name was Sakura… is that right?"

"Um… yes?" Sakura said, voicing it as a question.

"…The courier."

"…That's right."

Kakashi stared at her. Sakura had to fight her instincts to run away. She was certain her knees were shaking, but they were luckily hidden by the white dress she wore. Finally, Kakashi released the mask and moved onto the next guest.

Sakura breathed a sigh of relief and put the Golden Mask back over her face. She hastily walked up the wide stone stairs and toward the doorway. They were large, ornate double doors, and as Sakura approached, two guards opened them for her without a word. She awkwardly thanked them and headed inside.

The Doge's ballroom was _beautiful_. The floors were glossy and shiny, and Sakura could see her reflection in them. People from all the different noble families danced together in the center of the room in a courtly ball dance. They bowed, held hands together, turned, dipped, and rotated partners. It was like all of them were working together in perfect unison.

Well. Sakura sure as hell couldn't dance like _that_. Perhaps asking for a dance wasn't the best idea after all. She looked around the room and saw other people mingling, chatting, and drinking. Servants wandered the ballroom with trays of champagne, wine, and fanciful _hors d'oeuvres_.

She was in the middle of searching for Tobi (exceedingly difficult as there were many black haired Uchihas in golden masks attending the ball) when she felt a hand placed on her shoulder. Sakura nearly leapt out of her skin in fright. She whirled around and found a man gazing down at her. His face was covered by a golden mask of his own. He had dark eyes and hair like an Uchiha, but his was long and straight, pulled into a low ponytail the fell over his right shoulder and down his chest.

"Sakura," he said, as if he knew who she was.

Sometimes, it really sucked having pink hair. Sakura resisted the urge to take a step back and looked up into the man's eyes. "Can I help you… sir?"

She couldn't discern an expression because of the mask, but she thought for a moment she heard an amused sound. "My name is Itachi," he said. "We are both shadows, you and I."

Sakura's lips parted in shock. "You're—" she broke off lest she ruin his cover. So Itachi was her partner for this job—he was the contact that was to seek her out. Well, that certainly saved Sakura some time. She relaxed, and Itachi lowered his hand from her shoulder. "Nice to meet you," she said. "You're pretty famous in the shadows. Never thought I'd meet you in person."

"You're making quite a name for yourself there, too," Itachi commented. "The stage is not quite set yet. Remain anonymous, but mingle for now. I will come for you soon."

"Understood," Sakura said. Itachi pulled back and lowered himself at the waist for a gentlemanly bow. Sakura lifted the ends of her dress and dipped into an awkward curtsey. It probably wasn't the best display she'd ever given, but whatever. She was no highborn lady, that was for sure.

Sakura watched Itachi leave and disappear through a door that she probably wouldn't be able to get in to. She had to trust that he had the majority of this job under control. When he gave the word, then it would be time for her to act. In the meantime… she had to stall.

Her green eyes roamed over the dancers once more, and she felt a frown tugging at her lips. Well, she wasn't going to be able to kill time _there_. Sakura shifted her weight to the other foot and debated trying some of the food. It all looked pretty weird, though. And she didn't dare try a glass of wine on the job. What to do…

"Is that you, Sakura?"

She turned, and to her delight, there was Tobi. He was eyeing her through his own golden mask, his posture rather stiff. Sakura smiled and twirled a lock of pink hair around her finger. "Gee, I wonder what gave me away."

Tobi shrugged one shoulder. "The dress did throw me off, I admit, but I suppose even street thieves can look nice from time to time."

Sakura's hands balled into fists at her sides. "HEY. _Courier_."

Tobi made an obvious gesture of rolling his eyes and said, "Right. And you recognize me despite not knowing my face?"

"Well I know that attitude anywhere," Sakura replied blandly. "But of course I recognize you. You're always wearing that stupid mask, so I go by your hair and body. Your shoulders."

"My what?"

Sakura was very grateful he couldn't see her blushing. The Golden Mask gave her a surprising amount of confidence. "I just—I just recognize you, okay? I know what you look like _other than_ your face."

"I see," he said. Granted, he did look a little different with the gold mask rather than his usual orange one, but it was still Tobi. He held out a hand and said, "Did you still want that dance?"

Sakura glanced back at the elaborate dance behind her and then returned her gaze to Tobi. "Oh, well um… I do, but I… don't know this one. Can we wait for the next one?"

Tobi stared at her for a moment before his hand lowered. His shoulders shook a little with silent laughter. "You… have no idea how to dance, do you?"

"Of course I do!" Sakura fumed. "But do you _see _those people? That dance is crazy. There's more steps than the freaking _ballet_. Are you telling me _you _know how to dance that?"

"Yes."

Sakura gaped at him. She narrowed her eyes and said, "No… I'm calling bullshit on that one, Tobi."

He merely shrugged. "That's fine. You're the one who can't dance."

Her jaw dropped. "Wha—_I can, too!_ Just wait for the next one. I'll waltz you into next week, you jerk!"

Tobi raised his gloved hand and pretended to examine his fingernails. "I'm sure you will. In the meantime, can I get you something to drink, Your Highness?"

Sakura folded her arms over her chest and tilted her head back in a scoff. "I'm not drinking tonight."

She watched as Tobi's gaze slowly drifted back over to her. "…Is there a reason for that?"

Sakura shifted a little. "No, I just don't want to."

"…You wouldn't by chance be looking for something to _steal_, would you?"

Sakura jumped and looked over her shoulders for anyone who might be listening. She clamped a hand over the mouth on Tobi's mask and said, "Say it a little louder, will you?"

"So you _are_," Tobi said, his voice unhindered by Sakura's hand over his mask. "I knew it. You're such a magpie. You'd think you'd have mountains of fine steals back home."

"It's not like I get to _keep _any of it!" Sakura protested. "It all has to be fenced because the best prizes are recognizable to the owners. Sometimes, a girl just wants something shiny for herself." Sure, the signet ring was for the Guild, but that didn't mean Sakura couldn't swipe anything from the other rich snobs at the ball.

"You poor thing," Tobi said in a sarcastic drawl.

"I know," Sakura said. She raised a hand to pretend to wipe away a tear from her Golden Mask. "Such is the life I lead…"

"Right. Well, the song changed. Do you think you can handle a three-step waltz or is that too complicated for you?"

Sakura glowered at him from behind her mask. "Sure, just watch your feet," she threatened.

Tobi held up his hands in surrender motion for a moment, but he was chuckling again, the bastard. "Alright, alright."

He held out his hand, and Sakura took it. They walked toward the center of the ballroom amidst the other dancers and began their waltz. It was strange for Sakura to be around so many well-dressed people who were all dancing in synch with each other, but she was able to keep up with Tobi well enough. It was an easy dance, and for that, she was grateful.

"Not bad," he said, sounding impressed.

"Don't sound too surprised now," Sakura told him.

"Sorry," he said, amused. "I just didn't expect you to actually be able to dance."

"Maybe you shouldn't judge a book by its cover," Sakura quipped.

"Maybe," Tobi said with a light shrug. He raised his hand, and Sakura spun underneath it before continuing their waltz. They continued for about a minute in comfortable silence until they were interrupted by a man stepping up to them and tapping Tobi on the shoulder once.

"If it isn't Tobi and the lovely Sakura," he said. It took Sakura a moment to place his voice—and his hair—as Madara Uchiha. "Mind if I cut in?"

That same tense posture that overtook Tobi when Madara was around before was suddenly back. Even his response was stiff and clipped. "Of course."

Sakura frowned, unaware of the customs of high society like this. Didn't she have a say in if she wanted their dance to be interrupted or not? Was it rude to cut in like that or was it generally accepted? No one was saying anything or even looking at them, so maybe it was normal…

Tobi gave Sakura a formal bow and then left the two of them in the center of the ballroom. Without so much as a _by your leave_, Madara took Sakura's hand and placed his other hand on her waist, leading her seamlessly back into the waltz from before.

"You are an exquisite dancer," he commented.

"Thank you, Lord Uchiha," Sakura said. She may not know much about highborn customs, but she did know how she was supposed to address them.

"Please, call me Madara."

Sakura had a hard time looking him in the eye. "I'm… not sure that would be appropriate."

"It is if I request it," Madara said, sounding amused. Like everyone else attending the Doge's Ball, Madara was wearing a golden mask. "Tell me, Sakura… is Tobi courting you?"

Sakura's face heated up. "Um, no, Lord Uchi—err—Madara… sir."

He gave a low chuckle and dipped Sakura down toward the ground. Madara leaned over her, holding her up with his hand on the small of her back. "You're very flexible, aren't you?"

"I… suppose." She had to be. She was an acrobat.

Madara held her there, ignoring the other dancers as they waltzed around them. He looked into her eyes, and for some reason, Sakura felt distinctly uncomfortable. Like there was something wrong, but she couldn't quite put her finger on what it was.

"You seem to have captured my son's interest of late," Madara commented. "Do you know why that is?"

Sakura's face felt like it was on fire with her blush. "I assure you, Lord Madara, it's nothing like that. We are merely friends."

"Of course," Madara said, giving no indication on whether or not he believed her. He raised her up, and they continued their waltz. "I just like to keep an eye on him, is all. Fatherly interest. And I couldn't help but notice he's been spending an awful lot of time with you."

"I, um…"

"You are aware, of course, that Tobi's station in nobility would not permit him to marry anyone of lower class," Madara continued smoothly. "And we Uchiha tend to keep things in the family, whenever we can. If Tobi were to ever marry, I'm afraid it would be to a highborn lady. Likely a distant cousin."

Sakura's heart twisted into knots, and she nearly missed a step because she was in such a daze. "I… I see."

"It is a shame," Madara said sympathetically. "But it is the way things are. So I'm afraid there is no reason for you to get close to him. There is simply no hope for a future with him, my dear. I am sorry to be the one to say it…"

Sakura stopped dancing. She pulled back from Madara. Her head felt like it was spinning. "I…" She shook her head and collected herself before looking at Madara. "You have no reason to worry about that, Lord Madara. He is not in love with me." She dipped down into another sloppy curtsey and said, "Good evening, my lord."

Without another word, she turned from him and walked away in a hurried pace. Sakura ignored anyone else that she saw. Their faces all looked the same with their golden masks and their fanciful ball gowns. None of that mattered. Instead, she went straight for the glass doors on the side and opened them up to the balcony. The crisp night air filled her lungs like pure life, and she let out a relieved sigh.

Just ahead of her was Tobi. His back was turned to her, and he was leaning against the ornate stone railing of the balcony. Sakura closed the glass doors behind her and stepped forward. "Tobi?"

He tilted his head back to glance at her. "Are you alright?"

Sakura opened her mouth to respond, but her throat felt rather dry. Instead, she gave a half-hearted shrug in response. Tobi eyed her for a moment before he gestured to the place beside him. Sakura walked forward and looked over the edge of the balcony. The city of Venice was alight with multi-colored lights and fireworks. Even those who were not lucky enough to obtain an invitation to the Doge's Ball were still out there having a wonderful time. Sakura wondered if she might have actually preferred to be one of them.

"What did he say to you?"

Sakura prodded at the stone a bit with her foot. "Nothing much. Say um… do you—err—do _nobles_ have to marry within the nobility?"

"Do nobles or do I?" Tobi asked.

"…Both."

"…Most nobles do, but not all families care," Tobi answered. "I… my situation is complicated."

Sakura looked up at him. "Why?"

Tobi sighed and ran his hand through his hair in a stressed gesture. "I won't ever be getting married. Nor do I care to. To most of the people in there, I don't even exist, so it isn't something I have to worry about."

That confused her even more. "What do you mean, you don't exist?"

"…I can't tell you that, Sakura."

Sakura lowered her gaze, disheartened. "I see." She briefly debating leaving, but then, a black gloved hand was in front of her, waiting. She looked up at Tobi.

"We never got to finish our dance," he said.

Sakura placed her hand in his, and she lightly touched the other to his shoulder. Rather than holding her waist, Tobi reached for the chin of Sakura's Golden Mask and carefully pulled it up. Sakura took a breath uninhibited by the heavy mask. "Tobi?"

He looked at her for a moment, still holding the mask. Tobi turned to the side and placed it on the stone ledge of the balcony. Then, he turned back to Sakura and placed his hand on her waist. "I just wanted to see your face."

Sakura gave him a small smile. "That's not fair."

Tobi began their dance by spinning Sakura toward him. Her hands landed on his chest, and his lingered on the small of her back. "You're right. It isn't."

Sakura's heart pounded in her chest. They stood so close together. Her ears were ringing. She swallowed down the lump in her throat and slowly reached her hands up to the golden mask on Tobi's face. She touched her fingers to the sides and waited to see if Tobi would stop her. When he didn't, her breath caught in her throat, and she moved to carefully take it off—

"Sakura," said a voice from the balcony doors. Sakura's hands stopped just short of Tobi's mask, and she turned to see Itachi standing there, waiting. "It's time."

* * *

暁 **TK Grimm** 暁

* * *

**Today's topic**: Language

In some AU stories, alternate use of language is pretty important. Like, if something takes place during the medieval era or ancient times. They spoke differently back then, and if you're really going for accuracy with your story, you should incorporate the language of the century as well.

A fine example of this that I can think of is SpeedDemon315, who is on my favorites list. She has written many AU one-shots, and the two that come to mind are '_Stop And Say You Love Me'_ and '_Romancing the Sakura'_. Both of those are in a sort of Victorian Era setting, and the dialog the characters use reflects that. I'm pretty envious of her ability to do that.

Obviously, I use a much more modern style of dialog. Even though this story takes place during Renaissance Italy (approximately 1490 or so, in particular), I don't use the language of the era. For starters, I'd probably have to spout off a bunch of Italian, and the only Italian I know is _hello_ and _feed me, I'm hungry_. Not even kidding. That, and you'd use things like… "Is something amiss?" rather than, "Is something wrong?" or even "How do you fare?" rather than, "How are ya?"

So, I'm fully aware that I _should _be using more proper dialog, and that my dialog choices are pretty modern, but I'll be the first to admit that honestly, I just lack the skill as a writer. I can handle just about any type of scene, but when it comes to using historical language, I'm next to useless.

What about you guys? Ever have to write old-timey dialog? Do you like it or hate it? Do you prefer to read it in AU stories like this for authenticity's sake? Or do you just not really care? Do you have some good examples of stories that use it well or not-so-well? Also, in non-AU stories, how do you feel about writers who use Japanese words amidst their dialog, like _hai_ and honorifics?


	7. Torture

_**TK**_: *dodges flying tomatoes* I'm sorry about the cliffhanger! Honestly though, I've read way worse ones than the couple I've given you. Some of which left me hanging for like, _months_. Seriously, I'm so thrilled with the response last chapter, I wrote like a spaz to finish this one as quickly as I could XD

Also, we're at the point in the story now where all the little puzzle pieces I've been giving you are finally going to form a picture. And, to make up for that mean cliffhanger last chapter, there's a pretty stupendous bit of fluff at the end here that is so sweet I could feel myself getting a cavity from writing it :P Enjoy.

Super Special Awesome _**2014 Naruto One-Shot Challenge**_. Details on my profile.

**[**ObiSaku. After being rescued by a Masked Man, Sakura makes it her mission to discover his identity—even if it means sneaking into the ballroom during Carnevale. AU.**]**

* * *

_**Carnevale**_

_TK Grimm_

* * *

**Chapter Seven:**

**Torture**

* * *

Sakura quickly stepped back from Tobi and snatched her Golden Mask of the stone ledge. She placed it back on her face with a quiet _click_ and turned toward Itachi. Feeling a little breathless—and honestly rather cockblocked—she asked, "Shall we dance?"

Itachi held out his hand to her. "Of course."

She took his hand and spared one last look at Tobi. He inclined his head toward her and said, "Don't get arrested."

Sakura snorted and followed Itachi through the glass doors. As much as she wanted to stay on that balcony with Tobi and the fireworks and his stupid mask that she came _so damn close _to taking off… she had a job to do. Still… _god damn it_!

"Are you familiar with that man?" Itachi asked as the two of them casually weaved through the crowd of people. The ballroom had gotten rather full as the night progressed.

"Tobi?" Sakura asked. "Uh, I guess. Why? Do you know him?"

Itachi glanced at her for a moment, and Sakura felt particularly scrutinized. She didn't have the slightest idea what he was thinking, but apparently he figured it out on his own. "I see," he said, not answering her question. "Never mind. This way, Sakura."

Itachi led Sakura through an ornate mahogany door which he closed behind them. On the other side was a long hallway with a red velvet rug going all the way down it. Itachi inclined his head toward Sakura and said, "The signet ring is in the Doge's study, second door on the left. I can buy you ten minutes, no more. When you're done, meet me back in the ballroom."

"Understood," said Sakura. She watched Itachi go back through the door they came through. Ten minutes wasn't a lot of time, especially since she had to search the study for the ring. As such, she hastily walked to the second door on the left and tried the handle. It was locked, naturally, but Sakura made quick work of that with two of the hairpins Konan had placed in her hair earlier.

Once it was open, Sakura stepped inside and closed the door behind her. The study had a large wooden desk in the middle with a comfortable chair tucked in behind it. Two smaller chairs were placed in front of it. There were a few books, some scattered documents, and a lit oil lamp on the desk. Behind it were a few bookshelves, and a designer rug lay just beneath it.

Sakura walked over to the desk and scanned her eyes over the surface, but there was no ring. She didn't expect it to be out in the open anyway. She opened the small box on top of the desk and found a few high quality cigars, but no signet ring. Time to go through the drawers. The first one had a lot of unfinished paperwork. She even got a paper cut in her attempt to check if the ring was tucked in the side between the paper and the back of the drawer. The second one held nothing of interest, so she moved onto the other side of the desk, to the right of the chair. The first drawer there held various writing utensils, some measuring tools, clips, and other miscellaneous supplies.

The drawer under that, the last one, was locked. Sakura bit her lip and glanced at the clock. She still had six minutes. She pulled out her hairpin once more and carefully started picking the lock. It was tricky to feel around blindly for the tumbler, but once she found it, she pushed it up and locked it in place then pulled the handle on the drawer. It slid open.

Inside was… a small painting. Sakura carefully picked it up and peered at the image. She recognized the Doge of Venice, Hashirama Senju, but he was standing with Madara Uchiha. He had his hand on Madara's shoulder, and they were both smiling like old friends. Between them was a beautiful woman with long red hair that she had pinned up in an ornamental headdress. It was Mito Uzumaki, Hashirama's wife. She had a calm, friendly smile on her face between the two men.

It was strange… why would the Doge lock that picture up?

Sakura barely had time to ponder that, for under the painting apparently was the Senju signet ring. She snatched it up and placed the painting carefully back in the drawer. She slid the drawer closed and looked at the signet ring. It was a fairly plain red ring with an indentation in the top for one to press into a wax seal that bore the Senju family crest. In her case, it would also open the lockbox that contained the ruby.

The sound of a door handle turning made Sakura's adrenaline spike. She dove under the desk and covered her mouth with her hand to muffle the sound of her breathing. Sakura heard the door open, and footsteps could be heard entering the room.

"I trust there's a reason you've pulled me into an empty office, Madara?"

Sakura furrowed her brow. That voice was Itachi's! What was he doing talking to Madara? And _here_ of all places?

"Obviously," said Madara. "It's time for you to choose a side, Itachi."

"Choose a side?" Itachi repeated. His voice was emotionless—there was no way to determine what he was thinking. Or what they were talking about, for that matter.

Madara sounded impatient. It wasn't at all the sickly sweet tone he'd used with her earlier or the day before. This voice was dark and cold. "You know what I'm talking about. Do you really think that fool, Hashirama, has no idea what Fugaku is plotting? Do you think he will let your father's plans for a coup d'état go unpunished?"

"What is it you want, Madara?" Itachi asked calmly.

There was a tiny hole in the back of the desk. Sakura peeked through it in time to see Madara sneer at Itachi disdainfully. "What is rightfully mine. I was head of this family before your father took over. With your support, I will be head again, and we can stop the coup before anyone else dies. There will be no others like Shisui."

Itachi's eyes narrowed, and he did not speak at first. Seeing him without the golden mask was different. He had a very attractive face with thin eyes and heavy lashes. His narrow jaw was almost feminine but still quite handsome. There was also a strange sort of calm about him. Itachi showed no fear. Sakura respected him immediately.

"You're suggesting we join forces to cripple my father's coup d'état," Itachi said at last.

A twisted smile formed on Madara's face. "Of course. You are the double agent working for both the Uchiha family and the Senju family. It is you whom the Doge listens to. And you will help him listen to _me_. It will spare our family its extermination, and it will ensure our hold in a position of power."

"Or it will ensure _your_ seat in a position of power."

Madara's smile slipped. "Choose your battles, Itachi. How many have to die before the peace you so desperately seek is obtained? Do you honestly believe women and children will be spared? It will be a massacre. At least my way, there is far less bloodshed."

Itachi closed his eyes for a moment. "So it would seem."

"Then we have a deal?"

Itachi was quiet for a moment, and it gave Sakura time to think. She couldn't believe her ears. The Uchiha family was planning a coup d'état? Was that even possible? Then again, they practically owned the city guard—they _had _the manpower. That was a scary thought.

What should she do? Should she warn the Doge? Would he even believe her? Would _anyone_? Tobi would—oh no, Tobi was an Uchiha! Was he somehow involved? He was so secretive… was this why?

"Wait," Madara said suddenly. He peered around the room through narrowed eyes, scrutinizing everything. Sakura held her breath, horrified. When Madara suddenly began walking around the desk, she feared the worst. Each step his shoes made on the rug made her heart pound louder in her chest.

"Madara," Itachi said, his voice betraying no panic. "What are you doing? Shouldn't we be going?"

"What's your hurry, Itachi?" Madara said. He placed one hand on the smooth, flat surface of the polished desk and then bent down to look underneath it. Sakura's eyes were wide with terror when Madara locked gazes with her. A slow, cruel smile spread over his face. "Ah-ha," he said. "Tsk, tsk, Sakura. You picked the wrong meeting to spy on."

He reached forward, and in a panic, Sakura bit down hard on his hand. Madara wrenched his hand back, and Sakura crawled out from under the desk. She bolted for the door, but Madara leapt and tackled her to the ground. He pinned her arms behind her back and held her pressed to the carpet.

"Lend me a hand, will you, Itachi?" Madara asked lazily.

Itachi sounded slightly tense. "…I wasn't aware you were in the habit of kidnapping young girls, Madara. She has nothing to do with us."

Madara shot him a frigid look. "Don't be _stupid_. She's heard too much. And how was she even here? She's a spy."

"I'm not a spy!" Sakura protested.

"I highly doubt—" Itachi tried.

"Enough," Madara interrupted. "You're too soft, Itachi. Hold still, Sakura."

Sakura felt a pressure on the back of her neck, and suddenly, everything went black.

* * *

暁 **TK Grimm** 暁

* * *

When Sakura awoke, she found herself tied to an uncomfortable wooden chair. There were painful ropes around her ankles, wrists, and waist. She squirmed against them until they rubbed her skin raw. These were tied professionally—there would be no escape.

She looked around the room. It was very dark and made of stone blocks like a cellar. Water dripped in one corner and broke the otherwise heavy silence. A single torch stuck out from the wall and illuminated the room with dim fire. On the floor was a large red smear that made Sakura's stomach churn.

She'd been captured.

A door behind her opened, and Sakura listened to the footsteps, not daring herself to move. A chill ran down her spine as Madara Uchiha walked around her chair and stopped when he was in front of her. He brought one hand to his chin and smirked at her, regarding her curiously as if she were something worth studying.

"Well now," he said, sounding downright _amused_ of all things. "You aren't what I expected you to be. It was a very clever ruse, pretending to be an ordinary girl, but this farce has gone on long enough. Who are you, really?"

"I _am _just an ordinary girl," Sakura tried. "My name is Sakura, and I—" she broke off when she was suddenly backhanded in the face.

Madara rubbed his hand, eyeing her without his previous smile. "An ordinary girl would not have known I was meeting Itachi at that time. So how did you?"

"I _didn't_ know!" Sakura said. Madara narrowed his eyes, and she spoke quickly before he hurt her again. "I'm telling the truth! I'm not a spy—I'm a thief!"

"A thief," Madara repeated in a skeptical tone. "And what could there be to steal in the Doge's office? Surely you weren't looking for treasure _there_."

"I—"

"Did you know," Madara began slowly as he held up a thin silver knife, "most people can only lose about five pints of blood before they die? And that if you avoid major arteries, it can take many, many cuts before you get to that point."

Sakura's breath hitched in her throat, and she stared at the knife with wide eyes. Her voice came out shaky. "I… I wasn't looking for treasure. I wanted the Doge's signet ring."

"Why, so you could write letters with his seal?" Madara guessed. "You know what, I believe you. That makes even more sense than you spying. You're working for Obito."

"Who?"

Madara dipped the tip of the blade into Sakura's shoulder and dragged it slowly down her collarbone. She screamed until he pulled it out. It wasn't a deep cut, but it hurt enough to bring tears to her eyes. "Do not _lie_ to me, Sakura. Now, while I knew Obito would act against me eventually, I must admit, I never thought he would stoop so low as to using a little girl like you to do his dirty work."

"I don't know who that is!" Sakura cried.

Madara eyed her for a moment. "…He didn't tell you." He lowered his hand which held the knife as his shoulders shook in silent laughter. "Oh, how very typical. You silly, vulnerable, _stupid_ girl. It is Tobi. _Tobi_ is Obito Uchiha. Your boss."

"He's what? He's not my boss! He's my—f-friend—my—I don't know. He has nothing to do with the signet ring!"

"Is that what he told you to say?" Madara asked. "No matter—he and I have been playing a dangerous game, and you have chosen the wrong side. Tell me, Sakura; what is it he's planning? Is he going to use Hashirama's signet ring to send out correspondence against me?"

"I don't know anything about that!" Sakura said.

The knife dug into her flesh again, this time from the top of her breast down the curve in between. Her tears fell faster than her blood, and Sakura panted with pain and exhaustion.

"You should reconsider," Madara said. "Otherwise, tonight will be the longest night of your life. I haven't even made it to your bones yet."

* * *

暁 **TK Grimm** 暁

* * *

While there were probably a million and a half reasons why Itachi didn't trust Obito, Obito couldn't really blame him for any of them. And, they were the exact reasons why _Obito_ trusted _Itachi_. It was its own little irony that amused him from time to time.

So when Itachi came to Obito of all people, it was very likely out of desperation.

"Madara has Sakura."

All traces of amusement left, and Obito's posture went rigid. The sounds of Carnevale around them faded into nothing in the wake of his rising panic. He put forth a great deal of effort into maintaining the calmness in his voice.

"…Why are you telling me?"

Itachi's neutral face changed ever so slightly when he raised a thin eyebrow. His tone remained empty. "Do you not care?"

Could he see the stiffness in Obito's shoulders? Could he hear his pounding heart? Was the ringing in Obito's ears obvious to Itachi? Did he see the way Obito's hands clenched into shaking fists at his sides?

…Did maintaining his façade even matter right now?

No. No, it didn't.

"Will you help me?" Obito asked.

Itachi's other eyebrow rose in a brief expression of surprise before he schooled his features into his emotionless mask. "Help you save her?"

"Yes."

"…I will. She was my responsibility tonight. Her capture was partially my fault."

Obito narrowed his eyes at that. He put two and two together in his mind. "Madara approached you," he said. "With a deal you couldn't refuse?"

Itachi closed his eyes. "Sakura's appearance prevented me from having to answer." He opened them and looked at Obito.

"Heh," said Obito. "I look forward to hearing your choice. Let's go."

Being Madara's right hand man made Obito privy to his darkest secrets. He knew how Madara thought and operated. He had to get back to the Uchiha estate in the Castello district. Itachi silently followed him out of the Cannaregio like a shadow.

It was very bold of Madara to be making his moves so soon. And capturing Sakura… Itachi was wrong. That wasn't his fault. It was Obito's. Madara had seen Sakura with him too much, he'd placed her as something important to Obito and thus saw her as another of Obito's weaknesses.

And he was absolutely right. For here Obito was, rushing off to her rescue, practically abandoning his cover, his false image as a loyal servant to Madara Uchiha.

But so help him, if Madara so much as harms a single hair on Sakura's head, Obito was going to rip out the old bastard's spine from his throat.

Castello was the far eastern section of Venice. Even there, the endless party that was Carnevale continued. Fireworks lit the sky, drinks were shared and passed around, games were being played, and people danced like there was no tomorrow.

Obito passed by them all without once losing sight of his destination. He strode into the Uchiha manor and into Madara's study. It looked like a miniature library with a desk on the end by a fireplace. The fireplace was lit, and there was a candle on the desk, which told Obito that Madara had indeed been here.

He ignored Itachi's penetrating stare as he walked over to one of the bookshelves. After a brief search, he found the one he was looking for and pulled it down. He heard a mechanism click into place, and the bookshelf swung open to reveal a secret door. As he had suspected, the hallway on the other side was illuminated by torchlight. If no one was down there, it would have been completely dark.

Obito grabbed one of the torches and strode into the hallway at a brisk pace. He heard Itachi's footsteps behind him and knew he was following him. At the end of the hall was a door with two guards. When they saw him, they froze. One of them went so far as to say, "Stop! You're not supposed to be here!"

He didn't recognize Obito with the golden mask rather than his usual orange one, but Obito didn't care. These were Madara's lackeys, completely loyal and painfully brainless. Obito shoved the torch into the face of the one who spoke and ducked to dodge the blade that went for his head from the other one. He shot out his leg and kicked it into the guard's gut. The guard staggered back, so Obito took the opportunity to pull the metal torch back from the screaming man and slam it hard into his head. He crumpled to the ground.

The other guard was reaching for his sword, so Obito stomped his boot on his fingers. He cried out in pain. Obito crouched down beside him and took hold of a fistful of his hair. "Where's the girl?"

The guard spat onto the stone floor, an indication that he wasn't going to answer. Obito let out an annoyed sigh and slammed the guard's head into the floor. He heard the crunch that signaled a broken nose, but that was the least of this guard's problems if he didn't cooperate.

"There is no need to kill them," Itachi said quietly.

"I haven't killed anyone yet," Obito told him. He was on edge, though. Sakura was in trouble. His fault, his fault, his fault…

The guard, meanwhile, looked like he was in a world of pain. "Sh-she's probably dead by now!" Obito made a move to slam his head into the ground again, but he stammered out, "W-wait! She's in room three. Take my k-key. Please."

Obito found the key in the guard's pocket and stood up. He left both of them there, stepping over their bodies to unlock the door to the next hallway. Another guard yelled in outrage and drew his sword. He moved in to attack, but Obito twisted to the side, avoiding the vertical swipe. He hit the man's wrist with a calculated blow that made him drop his sword on reflex. Then, Obito reached forward, grabbed the guard by the throat, and slammed him face first into the hard stone wall.

"He's unconscious," Itachi said. "Let him go."

"These are Madara's men," Obito said.

"They are _Uchiha_ men," said Itachi. "Loyal to the clan. As far as they know, Madara is a former clan head. They had no reason to disobey him."

Obito inhaled a slow breath through his nose and tried to calm himself down. When that didn't work, he kneed the guard in the stomach—a heavy attack that knocked him out—and let the guard fall to the floor. Another guard rounded the corner and charged for them, but Itachi stopped this one with a backward swipe to the guard's neck that sent him into unconsciousness as well.

Obito rolled his eyes. He was merciful like that once. Didn't have it in him to hurt a fly. And look where that got him. Crushed under a bunch of rocks and then forced to be some old bastard's lackey.

Not anymore.

The doors were all marked with numbers. Obito went straight to the room marked with a '3' and unlocked it with the guard's key. He all but shoved it open and then stopped short at the sight.

Sakura was tied to a chair and slumped over, likely unconscious. There was a pool of blood beneath her chair that sent a very human twinge of fear down Obito's spine.

"Madara isn't here," Itachi said from behind him. "This was too easy. He _wanted_ you to save her. He is likely testing you to see if you would."

Obito ignored him. He moved forward, his gaze unfocused. He reached Sakura and lightly touched a finger under her nose. He felt a small bit of breath with a feeble exhale—she was alive. Obito withdrew a dagger from his side and sliced through the ropes that had bound her. Her skin was raw and bloody under the ropes, but it didn't compare to the various lacerations across her pale skin. Madara had taken his time with her.

"He will know it was you," Itachi warned.

"She needs a doctor," Obito said. He carefully picked Sakura up in his arms and adjusted her so he could carry her without putting any more strain on her body. "Madara isn't important right now."

Itachi was silent.

Obito looked at him. "Shouldn't you be reporting to your guild?"

There was a brief hesitation, but Itachi inclined his head toward Obito. He took his leave. Obito followed him as far as the exit of the Uchiha estate. Thankfully, there weren't many people there, what with Carnevale and the Doge's ball going on.

Obito held Sakura carefully in his arms and made for Dorsoduro. He moved swiftly through the streets, but his heart was pounding heavily in his chest. Even now, Sakura was bleeding from her injuries. He could feel it seeping into his clothes. It was a terrifying reminder of human mortality.

Sakura stirred. He looked down at her in time to see her green eyes open slightly. Her lips parted, and a barely audible murmur of, "Tobi," came out.

She recognized him even without the orange mask.

Obito couldn't look her in the eyes. He kept his gaze straight ahead while he traversed the back alleys of Venice to get to Dorsoduro. There were plenty of clinics between Castello and San Marco, but there was only one doctor that Obito trusted.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I'm so, so sorry, Sakura."

Sakura didn't respond. She raised a shaky hand up to Obito's face, lightly touching the golden mask. Obito managed to glance down at her again. She looked ready to pass out again at any moment. Sakura's fingers slid to the side of Obito's mask, and he felt her lightly tug on the golden mask he wore.

He didn't stop her. He looked down at her, his regrets and self-loathing forcing him to let her do whatever she pleased. Sakura pulled off the golden mask and saw Obito's face. She lacked the strength to hold the heavy mask, though, and it fell to the pavement below them. Sakura paid it no heed and instead gently touched her hand to his face with a truly happy smile.

"Tobi," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Yes?" he asked quietly. The world moved on around them, but they were frozen in time and space. Two people in an empty universe.

Sakura's hand slipped down from his face. Her eyes fluttered closed. The smile never faded from her lips.

Obito held her tightly for just a second. He continued through the San Marco district and headed for Dorsoduro in record speed. Rin's clinic was just north of the docks in the southeastern section of Dorsoduro. Fear welled within him when he saw no light coming from the windows. It was late in the evening, well past midnight, but he hoped she would be home from Carnevale by then…

He had to try. Obito approached the door to the clinic. He knocked on it loudly, hoping, begging, praying that Rin would answer. He knocked again, but still it was silent. Obito cursed under his breath and pressed his forehead to the wooden door.

"Please," he begged. "Please…" He knocked one more time, louder, a desperate attempt. And finally, the door opened.

Rin stood on the other side with a candle holder in her hand and a sleepy look on her face. She was dressed in a simple white night dress and rubbed her eyes as she said, "Wha—" she broke off when she saw Obito's face. Her eyes widened, all traces of sleep erased, and she dropped the candle to the floor in shock. Hot white wax splattered onto the floor. "Obito? Is that you…?"

He hadn't picked the golden mask up after Sakura dropped it in the street. At the moment, he didn't even care. "Please help her."

Rin's expression of shock increased when she took in the sight of Sakura. "Oh my—please, come in. Hurry. Don't step on the wax."

Obito stepped over it and gently laid Sakura down on the first operation table he saw. Rin was hastily gathering supplies onto a tray. "What happened to her? What's her condition?" Her voice was light and borderline panicking, but her medic mode had kicked in, and she was all business.

"Torture."

Rin's steps faltered, but only briefly. She set the tray down near the table where Sakura lay. Her brown eyes roamed over Sakura's body with professional haste. "Multiple knife lacerations, heavy blood loss, and… three broken fingers on her left hand. She will live, but I need to close these wounds immediately and reset the bones in her fingers."

It was tensely silent throughout the procedure. The only time it was broken was when Rin picked up or set down one of the tools on the tray. She also occasionally had orders from, "I need more light!" to "Bring me some hot water, quickly!"

When it was finally over, Rin picked up a towel and dabbed at her forehead. She set it down with a weary sigh and slumped into the nearest chair. "Her life is no longer in danger." She looked exhausted, but it was nowhere near the relief coursing through Obito's veins.

He pressed his back to the wall behind him and slid down to the ground, feeling as if all his limps no longer had the strength to support him. He pressed his hands to his face, and felt the cold sweat start to fade. The rigid tenseness in his shoulders was gone, replaced with numb reprieve, and _oh thank god she's alive_.

"Obito," Rin said. She was staring at him in pure disbelief. Now that the operation was over, the reality of the situation was apparently dawning on her. "How… I don't… is it really you?"

Obito's hands slid down his face, and he stared at the floor, feeling a myriad of emotions that he couldn't even begin to sort through. "Yeah."

Rin placed her hand to her chest, presumably to quell the rapid beating of her heart. "Oh my god," she said, looking like she was in a state of shock. "_Oh my god_." She stood up from her chair, standing a little shakily on her part, and strode over to him. Without giving Obito time to react, she pulled back her hand and slapped him right across the face.

Obito's eyes widened, and he held his hand up to the side of his face where it stung. He stared at her in shock, but Rin had _tears_ falling down her face. She reached for him and pulled him to her in a tight embrace, squeezing the life out of him as she shook with silent sobs.

"R…Rin?"

"You idiot," she cried. "All these years… Kakashi and I thought you were _dead_. And you never once came forward! How could you do that to us, Obito? When you died, I… both of us… we were devastated. But here you are, and oh my god, _Obito_! Obito…"

He wrapped his arms around her, but he could hardly wrap his mind around what he was hearing. "I'm sorry," he said feebly. "I… didn't want to hurt either of you."

Rin pulled back and glared at him through water eyes. "So you let us go on thinking you're dead? You don't think that hurts?"

Obito was at a loss for words. "It wasn't like that. You don't understand. No one could know who I was."

"You're right, I don't understand," Rin said. "So you better start _explaining_ ev—"

"Tobi?" Sakura's feeble voice broke off what Rin was saying.

Obito pulled back from Rin and stood up immediately. He strode over to her side and gently brought his hand to the side of her face. "Sakura," he said. "Can you hear me? Are you alright?"

Her eyes opened, and she smiled when she saw him. It was that same, weakened smile she'd given him when he'd rescued her, but it was still a smile. Obito's insides churned with the realization of just how close she'd been to dying. Sakura's hand twitched at her side, and she struggled to lift it. Obito used his free hand to take hold of Sakura's hand, and she entwined their fingers. Obito let her.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly. He raised their joined hands up to his forehead and closed his eyes. "I never meant to get you involved in any of this."

Rin stood up and turned toward them. She watched with a curious gaze. For some reason, she felt like an intruder looking in on an intimate scene. It was… such a foreign sensation. Even with Obito's strange, sudden reappearance in her life, she was surprised to see the way he interacted with this girl, with Sakura. It was like…

It was like…

"Shh," Sakura murmured. "It's okay." Her eyes closed again. She was too tired, too weak. "You came for me… rescued me." They opened and looked into his with that same, soft smile of hers. "Maybe I was wrong… about Prince Charming not existing."

Obito let out a short, broken laugh. He held Sakura's hand to his face and closed his eyes to let out an unsteady yet relieved sigh. "I don't know about Prince Charming, but I may have gotten a little carried away in your rescue. I think Itachi trusts me even less now."

"At… least you're safe," she whispered.

His eyes opened and locked with hers. "It's you I'm worried about. Not me."

"Has anyone… ever told you… your p-priorities are a little… messed up?"

"Stop making jokes," he said with a feeble smile. "You're clearly bad at them… so you should just leave the comedy to me."

Sakura gave a weak laugh, but she winced from the pressure on her wounds. Obito's brow creased in worry, but she squeezed her hand. "I'm okay. So I guess… I got to steal your mask after all."

"Well… I let you steal it," Obito said. "So I don't think that counts."

"It counts."

"No… I'm pretty sure it doesn't."

Sakura frowned at him. She appeared to be coming back to her senses, and Obito was so, so grateful for that. "It definitely counts," she insisted. She made a pained face before relaxing once more.

"You'll be a little sore for a while," Rin said as she walked around the opposite side of the operating table as Obito. She gave Sakura an encouraging smile as she continued, "But you're going to pull through. You're a really strong girl."

Sakura smiled back at her. "If I had a florin for every time I've heard that…" She let go of Obito's hand and pressed her hands to the table in an attempt to sit upright. Obito and Rin reached forward and helped her, both careful not to aggravate any of Sakura's injuries. Once Sakura was sitting, she looked down at her left hand and saw the wrapped fingers. "Well… that's going to take a while to heal."

Rin nodded. "No more courier work for you for a while."

Sakura's face made a small grimace, and Obito had to struggle not to smile. Courier work. _Right._

But then, Sakura turned to Obito. "Tobi… or… is it Obito?"

His amusement left him. Both women were looking at him in earnest, waiting. After a short sigh, he said, "My name is Obito Uchiha. And… this is going to be a long story. Are you sure you want to hear it?"

Sakura and Rin exchanged glances, but they both turned their heads back to Obito and nodded at the same time. He returned the nod and began his tale.

"Just under ten years ago, I lived here in Venice with the rest of my family. You're aware of how closely tied the city guard is with the Uchiha family, right Sakura? Well, I was placed on a three-man cell with Rin Nohara and Kakashi Hatake, the same Kakashi you met before."

"Rin, you were a guard?" Sakura asked, shocked.

Rin shook her head. "I was a medic assigned to their team. The two of them were partners. But the three of us grew up together before that."

Obito continued. "We were patrolling the bridge out of Venice—the Ponte della Libertà—when the earthquake hit. There was a rockslide, and I pushed Kakashi out of the way. I ended up crushed under the rocks and was assumed dead. I thought I was going to die, too."

Sakura gasped and covered her mouth with her uninjured hand. "That's so horrible. So you and Kakashi thought he was dead the entire time?"

Rin nodded. "Yes… until tonight."

Sakura glanced between Obito and Rin, and Obito feared she was getting a bit too close to the truth there, so he moved on with the story. "I was found by Madara Uchiha. He was the former head of the Uchiha family until he was exiled from Venice just over twenty years ago. He saved my life. I wanted to get back to Kakashi and Rin, but I wasn't healthy enough. So I stayed with Madara, trained with him, and eventually learned his plan to return to Venice."

"Why didn't you seek me out right away?" Rin asked him. "Kakashi and I would have helped you."

"I couldn't," Obito said. "Madara has been using you and Kakashi against me. Had I made one false move, the two of you would be dead. And it seems he's added Sakura to that list."

Rin looked horrified, but Sakura turned to Obito and asked, "Why would Madara help you if you were just going to be a liability?"

"He needed a partner, someone who knew the current workings of the Uchiha family. Someone he could rely on to operate in the shadows while he took the spotlight. And I needed to get well enough to return to Venice, so I agreed to work with him. Once I learned the full extent of his plans, I knew I had to stop him. It was the only way I could keep Rin and Kakashi safe. But in order to do that, I had to gather evidence against Madara. It's been a long, grueling process of slowly making his plans backfire one by one, all the while appearing the loyal servant he believed me to be."

"So you've been a double agent?" Rin asked.

"An anonymous one," Obito told her. "And with the Uchiha family's plans for a coup d'état, it hasn't been easy."

Rin's eyes widened. "_What_?"

Sakura knew this much. She turned her head to Rin and said, "I heard Madara and Itachi talking about it. The Uchiha family has been planning a coup d'état against the Senju family for control of Venice. By the sounds of it, it's been in the works for years."

"It has," Obito explained. "Madara's presence put a wrench in those plans, though. But he couldn't care less if the family were massacred. He intends to use the coup d'état and possible massacre to secure his position as head of the family, and eventually take over the seat of Doge of Venice."

"That's awful," said Rin. "We can't let him get away with this."

"You're right, we can't," said Sakura. She looked at Obito. "Well, you've been working on this alone for how many years now? I take it you have a plan?"

He nodded. "I have a plan."

* * *

暁 **TK Grimm** 暁

* * *

**Today's topic**: Violence

Random question, has anyone ever seen Aladdin 2: Return of Jafar? XD Okay, so it's not the greatest as far as sequels go (not that most sequels are that great to begin with), but there's a line in it that is said like, three or four times that is just, so damn heavy for Disney. It's, "You'd be surprised what you can live through." There were a few close calls where characters nearly died, and they said that, and I remember just being like, "Whoa, shit, that's, uh, that's pretty intense, Disney." Remember that?

Anyway, I was reminded of it for some reason when I was writing my mini torture scene. I didn't want to go too far into the torture scene because it just wasn't necessary for the continuation of the story (or this type of story), so I kept it fairly brief. But yeah, I remembered that line and was like, dang, yo.

I digress.

Onto the discussion, I have to admit, I just love angry acts of violence like that. So like, I d'know, you see it in super hero movies all the time. Hero's girlfriend gets kidnapped (or dies), hero goes on rampage. This is a pretty damn obscure movie, but Quentin Tarantino's "True Romance" movie—when Christian Slater goes batshit and kills his woman's, uh, pimp, and she's like, "That's so romantic!" I just lost my shit and started laughing. It's just so ridiculous, it's awesome!

Random acts of violence FTW. It's like, one of the best ways fictional men show they care. XD

Maybe that's just me. Maybe I have some kind of weird psychological issues for getting such enjoyment out of that. Who knows. I may just have been exposed to too much violence that I'm desensitized to it now.

Any of you know what I'm talking about and agree? Or are you like, "Ermahgurd, violence is wrong D:"

Also, action scenes are awesome. I used to have such a hard time writing them, but now I'm kind of enjoying it. It plays out in a movie in my head, you know? Does it play out like a movie as you read? Cause that would be awesome.

Movies FTW too.

**Bonus Question**: What's your favorite movie?


	8. Hero

_**TK**_: Well, here it is folks: the last chapter. That's right, this chapter is the end. I said from the start I only projected this story to be between 30-40k words, and its ended up just shy of 50k, so I wasn't far off. I'm sorry, for those of you who don't want it to end XD But this is the end of the story. There is nothing more to tell after this. And, as a general rule of thumb, I do not write sequels. Just imagine a nice, fluffy, happily ever after or something, if that helps you.

You know, writing this story was a real gamble for me. Since ObiRin is like, canon, I didn't think anyone would want to read an ObiSaku. Plus, most people prefer non-AU stories. And this isn't exactly the most orthodox of AU stories, you know? But I gotta say, I'm pretty happy with the reception :D

Thank you to everyone who read and favorite this story, and a special amazing thank you full of love and rainbows to everyone who reviewed it. Reading your comments has made my day several times over during the course of this story. I really appreciate everything you've all had to say, so thank you.

Don't forget the _**2014 Naruto One-Shot Challenge**_. Details on my profile.

**[**ObiSaku. After being rescued by a Masked Man, Sakura makes it her mission to discover his identity—even if it means sneaking into the ballroom during Carnevale. AU.**]**

Maybe I should update the summary, since it has deviated from that original plot bunny quite a bit. Ah well, too lazy, and it still works.

* * *

_**Carnevale**_

_TK Grimm_

* * *

**Chapter Eight:**

**Hero**

* * *

Though Obito said he had a plan, he refused to involve Sakura or Rin any further in that plan. That included sharing any details of it with them. Needless to say, both women had been less than pleased with that decision.

"This isn't something either of you can help me with," he told them. "I've been planning to overthrow Madara for years, and not all of those plans have been legal. If there is even the slightest chance that either of you can be implicated in this, it could mean a death sentence, and I won't take that chance."

"That's not your choice," Sakura said with a frown. "I am more than capable of taking care of myself. Let me _help_ you."

"No," Obito said. It wasn't cold, but it was firm. He would not risk endangering either of them.

"I just found out you're _alive_," Rin pleaded. "I can't just let you go now—what if you don't come back this time?"

Obito looked at her, finding the words caught in his throat. He knew she was concerned. He could see it in her knit brow, her slightly watery gaze, the way her fingers locked together in a praying motion, pleading with him to stay. Once upon a time, he lived for the chance to make her look at him like that.

And then, his eyes drifted over to Sakura. Unlike Rin, she met his gaze evenly. Her eyes were determined, proof she wasn't backing down without a fight.

"I'm not going to be left behind," she said. "I'm not going to stare at your back as you walk away." She raised her fist and held it out toward him, further solidifying her words. "I'm going to fight for you."

_Did you fight for her_?

Her words struck a chord with Obito. He remembered their conversation on the gondola, when Sakura had very nearly confessed her feelings for him. The two had gotten intimately close just moments before, but it had all happened so quickly, so instinctively.

Obito let his instincts act for him again. He reached forward and wrapped his hand around Sakura's fist. He held her hand in his and gently pressed her back down so she was lying down again. "You have lost a lot of blood and are in no condition to be fighting anyone. I know you're capable," he said, cutting off her protest, "but this time… leave it to me."

Sakura reached out her other hand and latched onto his coat. "To—Obito. Madara will know you rescued me. …This will be the first place he looks."

Obito's eyes drifted toward Rin and then back to Sakura once more. "I know," he said. "But don't worry. You're under my protection. Rest tonight, and then I want the two of you to go somewhere safe. I trust you can think of somewhere, right, Sakura?"

Sakura furrowed her brow in mild confusion. "I—I suppose, but—"

"You'll be safe tonight," Obito promised. "Both of you," he added, switching his eyes to Rin again. "…I'll handle this. Just stay safe."

He released Sakura from his grasp and then turned from the both of them. Obito walked to the front door, and he did not glance back. He opened it and left the clinic. Just a few short steps outside, he heard the door open and close behind him. He turned around, and Rin was there.

"Obito," she said. She couldn't seem to look him in the eyes. "…Before you go… I just wanted to talk to you… about Kakashi." She bit her lower lip in a slight grimace. "I never meant to hurt—"

Obito held up his hand in motion of silence. He already knew what she was going to say, and he would rather not hear it at all. And yet, for some reason, it hurt a thousand times less than he ever imagined it would. He even managed a small, albeit tired smile. "It's alright," he said. "I only ever wanted you to be happy. And I guess that counts for stupid-Kakashi, too."

Rin finally looked at him, giving him a shy smile. "Thank you," she said. "You don't know how much that means to me. We both felt so _guilty_, and—never mind. It's in the past. But… I'm a little surprised in you. You've really grown up."

He rolled his eyes. "I wasn't going to stay a teenage boy forever."

She chuckled and brushed a few strands of her brown hair behind her ear. Obito watched the gesture, not quite as enthralled by it as he once was. When Rin spoke again, the words made his throat run dry. "What about you and Sakura?"

"…What do you mean?"

"Do you love her?" Rin asked.

Obito looked shocked. "No, I—how can you ask me that? She's… she's…"

"It's okay, you know," Rin told him. "The way you two were… just moments ago. It was beautiful. And you know… I'm a lot like you. All I want is for _you_ to be happy, too."

"Happy," he repeated, somewhat in a daze.

Rin nodded. "And I think Sakura makes you happy. I _know _she does. You should see the way she looks at you. I know the look of a girl in love. I've only seen it in the mirror all my life, after all."

Obito averted his gaze. "Rin—"

"You don't have to say anything," she said. "I just don't want to see you spend any more years alone and unhappy. Not when something like this is within your reach."

Her words were rather frightening, simply because they were so close to the truth. Obito _had _gotten far too attached, far too close to Sakura during Carnevale. And his reaction when he found out she was in danger… the way they touched…

He knew the signs. Better than most men, Obito knew the signs. He couldn't deny that Sakura had wormed her way into his broken heart. Maybe she was even mending it a little. That was a feat in itself. But Rin… he'd spent half his life being in love with Rin that he could hardly imagine a world where he wasn't. Was there another path for his future? Did he even want it?

"I know what you're about to do is probably dangerous," Rin told him, drawing him away from his thoughts. "But… should you need us, we'll be here. And… just promise me you'll come back this time. Promise me you'll come back, if not for me, then for her. Sakura needs you to come back, Obito."

The haze of distraction and confusion was back. Obito managed a nod and a quick mutter of, "Stay hidden." He left Rin in front of the clinic.

* * *

暁 **TK Grimm** 暁

* * *

Sakura and Rin did not get much sleep that night. They both passed out from sheer exhaustion for a while, but the hours were few and short-lived. They were up with the rising of the sun. Rin made sure to properly redress Sakura's wounds.

Then, it was time for their disguise to get through the city. They both put on long white medical cloaks with the long-nosed Carnevale masks that many doctors wore. With the hoods of the cloaks pulled up, they were completely anonymous.

"Right," said Rin. "What's the plan, then?"

"Well, we can't stay here," Sakura said. "I _do _know a place we can hide out, but um… it might strike you as a bit… unsavory."

Rin furrowed her brow and asked, "What do you mean?"

"Well, it's kind of a brothel."

"You want to hide from Madara Uchiha in a _whorehouse_?"

"It's not _just _a whorehouse," Sakura insisted. She took a deep breath and exhaled in a sigh. "Rin… I need to tell you something. Obito trusts you, so… I should, too. I _do _trust you, I mean. You see… I'm not really a courier."

Rin made a nervous chuckle of sorts in her throat. "A-heh-heh… is this the part where you tell me you're a, um, _lady of the night_? Oh god, please don't tell me you were Obito's—"

Sakura smacked her palm to her forehead. "_No_! I'm a _thief_."

"Oh," Rin said, visibly relaxing. There was a pause, and her eyes widened. "Wait, did you say—"

"Yeah," Sakura confirmed. "There's actually a few of us, and we use the brothel as a sort of… hideout."

Rin blinked a few times, slowly processing that. "Okay… so you're a thief. And there are more of you. And you hang out in a brothel. Alright, while I wrap my mind around _that_… how in the world do you know Obito? Is he…?"

"Oh, um, well, funny story, I was being harassed by a guard, and Obito got rid of him for me," Sakura explained. "He was accusing me of theft and was seriously ready to cut off my hand. But Obito stopped him. And then I tried to rob Obito the next day, but that's beside the point."

Rin stared at Sakura as if she were suddenly seeing her in a whole new light. "…Right. Wow. What in the world did I just get involved in?"

Sakura gave her an apologetic smile. "A little more excitement than I think you needed."

"No kidding…" Rin said slowly. "Wait… does that mean you_ were_ the female thief that Kakashi fought? So… the mask, the hand injury, all of it? He was right?"

Sakura winced. "…Yeah. He was. Please don't turn me in to you guard captain fiancé. I'm honestly pretty sure he will have me drawn and quartered."

Rin shook her head. "I won't… but Kakashi wouldn't do that. Well, he might, until he learns that you're Obito's. Then you'll pretty much have immunity with Kakashi."

"Learns I'm _what_?"

"It's actually something Kakashi learned from Obito, before he died… err, you know what I mean," Rin continued. "While only scum would break the law and not to turn you in, since you're a thief… well, those who abandon their friends are even worse than scum. Obito said that shortly before he died… and Kakashi has said it ever since. Followed it."

Sakura's surprise outweighed Rin's previous implication. "It almost sounds like Kakashi admires Obito."

Rin smiled at her. "Well… who wouldn't?"

For some reason, Sakura found herself blushing.

The two of them closed up the clinic and packed some emergency medical supplies that Rin insisted they bring along. Once everything was ready to go, they left the clinic and locked the door. Then, they blended in with the various crowds out celebrating Carnevale. It was a twenty-four hour party, though the numbers at sunrise were admittedly far fewer than they were at sunset.

"Rin," Sakura said, her voice surprisingly soft. They didn't slow their pace, even as Sakura asked what was likely the hardest question she ever had to ask anyone. "You're the girl Obito is in love with, aren't you?"

The only surprise on Rin's face was the brief parting of her lips and quick intake of breath. She schooled her features into an almost wistful smile and said, "Well, he was once, it's true. For a long time, I suppose. But now, his heart is leaning in another direction, and I believe he's trying to come to terms with that."

Sakura's own heart pounded in her chest with this revelation. "Another direction?"

Rin's smile turned teasing, and she glanced at Sakura briefly. "I'm talking about _you_, of course."

"M-me?"

"Yes, silly," Rin said. She looked Sakura over, took in her reaction, and nodded to herself. "You're in love with him."

"I—"

"It's okay," Rin told her. "I hold no monopoly on Obito's heart. You know I'm in love with Kakashi. And I do love Obito—I always have. But not in a romantic sense. I could never be what Obito wanted me to be, and I have always felt guilty for that. You simply can't force yourself to love someone. That's all there is to it."

"But… you think he's…"

"I think he's moving on," Rin finished. "And now that I know you love him, I can give you my blessing. I wouldn't let just any thief who hangs out in brothels pursue my best friend for a relationship. I do have standards for Obito, you realize."

Sakura managed a weak laugh at Rin's joke. She was grateful the older woman was trying to lighten the mood, all things considered. It wasn't quite enough though. "But still, I… he's…"

"Give him time," Rin said. "You didn't see his face when he knocked on my door last night. He was ghostly white, and all through the procedure, he looked as if _he_ were the one dying, not you. I've never seen Obito so afraid in my entire life. You mean a great deal to him, more than I think he realizes."

Sakura brought her hand up to her chest and pressed it over her heart. She wondered if Rin's words were the truth. She wanted so desperately to believe that they were. Obito deserved more than unrequited love for the rest of his life. Even if it wasn't _her_ that he fell in love with, she wanted him to be with someone.

But… if it _was _her…

She pushed those thoughts away for now. Their destination was in sight. "There," she said. "That brothel—the Red Moon. That's the one. We'll be safe there. Madara doesn't know about it."

"Are you sure?" Rin asked.

Sakura nodded and lowered her hood now that the two of them were in the clear. "He didn't believe me when I said I was a thief. Which makes me think it's a pretty safe assumption that he doesn't know where the best thieves of Venice hang out during the day. We just have to talk to Kakuzu, my mentor—"

"Stop! You there, woman with the pink hair!"

Both Rin and Sakura turned around in time to see not one but _six _guards approaching them. The one in the lead was the one who had addressed them.

"Are you the woman known as Sakura?"

Sakura frowned, her instincts telling her to run. But she couldn't leave Rin. She also couldn't run and hide in the Red Moon since it was _right there_ and they would see her go in. "…Who's asking?"

"By order of the Doge of Venice, Lord Hashirama Senju, you are hereby under arrest," said the guard.

Sakura's jaw dropped, but Rin stepped forward and spoke with authority. "On what charges, sir?"

"For the theft of the Doge's signet ring just last night," the guard answered.

"That's preposterous," Rin said. "Sakura was with me last night. There's no way she stole the ring." She finished that with a stern glance to Sakura, hoping that she was right in her defense of the girl. When Sakura shifted on her feet and did not answer, Rin's heart sank. Still, she turned to the guard and said, "What evidence do you have that this random girl committed such a crime?"

"That is not your concern," said the guard. "However, we were told that if we were to search the girl, we would find the Doge's signet ring. Step aside, Miss."

Without waiting for Rin's next argument, the guard moved her aside, though not with unfair force. Two other guards from his squad stood on either side of Sakura. The lead guard began to pat her down. And, to Sakura's horror, the Senju family signet ring was discovered in her pocket. She still had it from the theft the night before.

Rin looked horrified. "Sakura, no…"

"It's settled, then," said the guard. "You're coming with us. Will you come willingly?"

Sakura pressed her lips together in a thin line. What could she do? There was no getting out of this one. Not unless she could maybe escape her cell before they executed her. Stealing usually resulted in the loss of a hand, but to steal from the _Doge_… that was a different story.

"Yes, I will."

"No!" Rin protested.

"Rin," Sakura said. "Find Kakuzu. Tell him I sent you. You'll be safe, I promise."

"What about you?" Rin asked.

"I'll figure something out," Sakura said, though she didn't look very convinced. Still, she had to try.

* * *

暁 **TK Grimm** 暁

* * *

When Itachi Uchiha came to Obito this time, he found him with his orange, flame-patterned mask. Obito glanced at him briefly and said, "I hope you have better news for me than you did yesterday."

Itachi's initial pause did not bode well. "Sakura has been captured again."

"_What_?"

Itachi closed his eyes and spoke calmly. "She was arrested outside the Red Moon." He opened them and looked at Obito. "They found the Senju signet ring on her. Somehow, they knew she had it. I expect Madara could have gathered that much while he held Sakura captive last night."

That wasn't good. Obito could turn Madara in, but how would he clear Sakura's name? Unless…

"I have an idea." He looked at Itachi again, studying him. "Well, you've seen all the sides now. Mine, Madara's… our family's. What do you choose?"

"What will become of the Uchiha family if you succeed?" Itachi inquired.

"I couldn't care less," Obito drawled.

Itachi was silent for a moment before the corner of his lips twitched upward. It was the first time he'd asked someone that question and been told the truth. His father lied, Madara lied, the Doge lied—but Obito… he was telling the truth. Maybe this was the answer Itachi needed, then.

"I'll follow you," Itachi decided.

Obito's brief look of surprise was hidden by his mask. He nodded swiftly and said, "We don't have much time. Get me the box, and we'll be on our way."

暁 **TK Grimm** 暁

Not just anyone could meet with the Doge of Venice on such short notice, especially when the Doge's attention was diverted by the strange, random appearance of a girl who stole his family signet ring. It coincided with the theft of the 348 carat ruby his younger brother, Tobirama, had sent him, but still… it was hard to imagine his city had become a place where young girls did such things.

Sometimes, Hashirama yearned for simpler times long past.

And so, Hashirama found himself sitting in his comfy chair which looked more like a throne of delicately carved wood. On his right was his apprentice, Minato Namikaze, and appointed successor to the seat of Doge of Venice (seeing as his daughter Tsunade was much happier as a doctor). On his left was Madara Uchiha, his old friend who Hashirama had a hard time recognizing on even the best of days. There just wasn't much of his friend left in the man, and that made Hashirama even more sad than the state of his beloved city.

"She's obviously guilty," Madara said, eyeing Sakura with distaste. The girl's wrists were bound behind her back, and she had multiple injuries all over her body, some of which were bleeding through her linen bandages. "The guards found the signet ring on her, just like I told you they would."

Minato eyed Madara shrewdly. "You never did explain how you knew the ring would be on the girl."

Minato was a young man in his mid-thirties who had a son slightly younger than the pink-haired girl in front of them. He had unruly blonde hair and blue eyes like the sky. His usually kind face was drawn with suspicion this morning, however, for he never had it in him to trust Madara Uchiha.

"I have my sources," Madara said darkly. "And they will remain anonymous. The pressing question here is what became of the ruby."

Hashirama looked down at Sakura with a tired, almost sad expression. "Young lady," he said. "Did you steal the lockbox the night the caravan was attacked?"

Sakura pressed her lips together tightly and refused to answer. If she was going down, she wasn't bringing the Guild down with her.

"It seems we are wasting our time," said Madara. "Put the girl to death then and be done with it."

"And what of my brother's ruby?" Hashirama asked. Truth be told, he didn't care about the ruby. What bothered him was how willing Madara was to execute a young girl, even if she stole Hashirama's ring. Madara addressed the topic the way one might speak of squashing an insect.

"I can answer that."

Another man climbed up the stairs to enter the room with the four of them. He wore mostly black with the insignia of the Uchiha family only his clothes. His most distinctive feature was the orange Venetian mask he wore over his face. It had an intricate pattern of purple flames all over the right side.

Madara got to his feet immediately. "_Guards_!"

"Don't bother," said Obito, eyeing Madara with distaste under his mask. "Your guards are… under new management."

As if on cue, Kakashi, in his full set of guard captain armor, walked up the stairs. He held his helmet under his arm to reveal his spiky silver hair and mismatched eyes, but he stood at Obito's side firmly and absolutely. "My lord Doge," he greeted with a formal bow.

The looks of shock on all of their faces was almost enough to satisfy Obito. The look on Sakura's was even better.

"Kakashi?" Hashirama asked. "Have you gone mad?"

"Debatable," Kakashi sighed. He sounded as if he truly _was _debating whether or not he was crazy to go along with whatever it was Obito had planned. "It is not my intention to betray you, my lord, but I humbly request that you hear us out. Then I will await whatever punishment you see fit for my actions."

"Please," said Minato, leaning toward Hashirama. "I'd like to hear what they have to say."

Madara scoffed. "Ridiculous—"

"No, no," said Hashirama. "I'm interested. Go on."

"This girl is innocent," Obito said with a simple gesture to Sakura. "Mostly."

"How dare—"

Hashirama silenced Madara with a wave of his hand. "Are you here to present evidence?"

"I am here to confess," Obito corrected.

Sakura whipped her head around, horrified. "What are you _doing_?"

"So she speaks after all," Minato said curiously.

"Saving your life," Obito replied. He walked past Sakura so his back faced her, his attention focused on Hashirama and Minato. "My lords, I do have evidence, but it is not to prove the girl's innocence. She _is _guilty of the theft of the Senju signet ring, but she did so under my orders. As such, I claim responsibility and will take her punishment in her place."

"You _what_?" Sakura asked horrified. "You can't, you—"

"That is very admirable," Hashirama said slowly. "You are… Madara's son, Tobi, is that right?"

"No," said Obito. "That is the identity Madara gave me when we returned to Venice. It is not my name." He reached up his hand and carefully removed the orange mask. Immediate shock spread over Minato's face, just as Obito had imagined it would. After a moment, Hashirama also looked surprised. The only one who didn't react was Madara, who knew Obito's identity.

"Obito," Minato said, staring at him. "Is that really you?"

"Yeah," said Obito. "It is."

"What happened to you?"

"That's a long story, and it isn't important right now. What is important is what I've been doing. First, I ask that you release Sakura. I ordered her to steal the signet ring so that Madara wouldn't get his hands on it."

"Preposterous," said Madara. "Why would I want Hashirama's ring?"

Kakashi was the one who answered that. "Because you stole the lockbox from the caravan. Or, you hired thieves to do it." He turned to the Doge. "My lord, I was there that night and remember who I fought very clearly. The ruby was not taken—the entire _lockbox_ was. This lockbox, to be precise."

Sakura's jaw dropped when Kakashi revealed the very same lockbox that she'd stolen from the caravan days before. It was still locked, so the ruby was still inside.

"Where did you find that, Captain?" Hashirama asked.

"In the study of Lord Madara Uchiha," Kakashi said with a frown. "Thanks to an anonymous tip, we were able to discover all manner of unspeakable crimes committed by this man since his arrival in Venice. And for the past few hours, I have been working with Obito to uncover them all. Between the two of us, we have enough gathered evidence to fill the Mediterranean, from grand-scale larceny to kidnapping and even murder."

"This is an outrage," Madara snarled.

"We will see what can be disputed and what cannot," Hashirama said. "In the meantime, Obito Uchiha… you died a hero for Venice. And yet here you are. And you're telling me you sent this girl to steal my ring to prevent it from falling into the wrong hands… why not come forth with this information sooner?"

"I couldn't prove it," Obito said. "If a man who was supposed to be dead told you that your friend was trying to rob you, would you believe him? I took a risk and ordered Sakura to take the ring. But I claim responsibility and plead mercy. Take me in her place."

Minato looked torn between pride and heartbreak. "Obito…"

Sakura struggled against the binding on her wrists. "You can't do this! Obito! Don't throw your life away like this!"

"Minato," Hashirama addressed his successor. "You know Obito best. Do you believe him?"

Minato's blue eyes locked onto Obito's for a moment before he answered. "I knew Obito years ago, yes. Back then, he gladly laid down his life for his teammates, his friends. And now, I'm watching him lay down his life for a woman he loves. So yes, Lord Hashirama. I do believe him. I trust Obito completely."

Hashirama stroked his chin thoughtfully. "And Kakashi has been my best captain of the guard I've ever had. If he truly has found evidence, then it must be looked into. Very well." He snapped his fingers and gave Sakura a gentle smile while he said, "Release the young lady."

Sakura didn't bother. "Please, my lord, don't kill him." She fell to her knees to beg. "Please… please have mercy."

Hashirama stood up from his chair and looked down at Sakura with an amused sort of smile. "Stand up, my dear. No one is being executed without fair trial. Kakashi," he said, turning to the guard captain. "Show me this evidence of yours. And have your men detain Madara until further notice."

Madara took a step back. "You can't seriously believe this! I've been _framed_, Hashirama! _Hashirama_!"

Hashirama took one glance back at him. "I believed you once, old friend. But… you can only take so many knives before you stop turning your back to that person altogether. Obito—Kakashi—let's be going, then."

* * *

暁 **TK Grimm** 暁

* * *

Sakura was removed from the Doge's villa rather rudely and abruptly. Despite the fact that she was pardoned by the Doge himself, she was still a street rat and formerly convicted thief. All things considered, she should be grateful this was the worst she got. With that thought in mind, she turned away from the Senju estate and made her way south back toward San Polo.

On her way to the Red Mon, her thoughts wandered. Just how had Kakashi gotten his hands on the lockbox? She knew Obito had gathered evidence against Madara for years and had awaited the opportune moment to turn the Doge against him, but the lockbox was the one thing that didn't factor in. The last time she saw the lockbox, she'd left it in Kakuzu's possession. Had something happened since then?

Suddenly worried for the Guild, Sakura sprinted back to San Polo at record speed. She bypassed the celebrating fools who danced through Carnevale without the slightest idea as to what was going on in the city behind the scenes. When she reached the brothel, she ran straight in.

"Sakura!"

Sakura turned and gasped with relief when she saw Rin. Rin stood up immediately and strode over to her. The women embraced each other for a moment before Rin pulled back and looked Sakura over.

"I was so afraid I'd never see you again," Rin said with wide eyes. "I thought they were going to kill you!"

"So did I, for a while," Sakura admitted. "I'm okay, though. Obito came for me. The Doge actually _pardoned _me."

Rin's lips parted in shock. "_What_? How did Obito get him to do that?"

"It's a long story. Is Kakuzu here, do you know?"

Rin shook her head. "No. I came in here and talked to a woman named Konan. I mentioned your name, and she told me to wait in here with the other girls. Then she went down the hall, and I haven't seen her since."

She probably went through the secret passage, then. At least that meant Konan was here. Sakura ran her fingers through her hair and tried to calm herself down. "Okay…" she said mid-sigh.

"Some of your wounds have opened," Rin said. "Come over here; let me dress them for you."

It was then that a familiar blonde head rushed over to them. Ino wrapped her arms around Sakura and squealed. "Oh my god, I'm so glad you're okay! When Konan said you were arrested, I was _freaking out_!"

"Ino," Sakura chided with a tired smile. "You're going to get blood all over your dress."

Ino scoffed. "Who cares about bloodstains at a time like—wait, what am I saying? I love this dress!" Ino pulled back and began to dab at a couple of brown spots on her dress with a cloth. "Do you see what you've done to me, Forehead? You've got me freaking out to the point of getting _stains_ on my _clothes_. I have betrayed fashion!"

Sakura managed a small chuckle at her friend's expense. "Oh, Ino…"

Ino finished dabbing the spots clean and then sat down across from Sakura and Rin. She crossed her legs and watched for a moment while Rin applied fresh bandages to Sakura's various cuts. "Who sliced you up like a bad painting, anyway? Let me know so I can send Deidara to go blow him up. Then again, that death is too quick. I'll ask Sasori to poison him with that three-day poison of his. I hear that's painful as hell."

"It's okay, Ino," Sakura assured her. "It's being taken care of. You don't have to worry about it."

"I'm going to need more of an explanation than that! Start talking."

So she did. Sakura explained everything—about the Doge's Ball, stealing the signet ring, being captured by Madara, and then rescued by Tobi, who turned out to be Obito. She talked about how she was arrested earlier that morning, and how Obito and Kakashi began presenting evidence to the Doge, and finished the tale with her pardoning. By the time she was finished, Ino looked stunned.

"Holy shit," said the blonde. "You've had your very own fairy tale romance these past couple of days! That is _awesome_. And so unfair."

Sakura smacked her palm to her forehead in disbelief. "_Ino_. I think there are more pressing matters to deal with right now."

Ino scoffed. "The hell's more important than true love?"

"Well… um…" Sakura turned to Rin for help, but the doctor merely smiled at them and shrugged.

"She has a point," Rin said, giggling.

"Of course I do," Ino said. "I'm a love expert."

Sakura snorted. "_Right_."

The girls chatted for a while longer until the sun began to set on the horizon. Carnevale continued outside in a grand, city-wide party of masks and music. For once, though, Sakura didn't feel like celebrating. She just wanted to know if Obito was alright.

She got her answer when, in the early evening, two men entered the Red Moon brothel. Both Sakura and Rin's eyes lit up to find Obito and Kakashi, though the latter looked distinctly uncomfortable to be in such a place.

"This is the place, Obito? Really?" Kakashi asked.

"I'm sorry, did you have something more high class in mind?" Obito drawled.

Kakashi's deadpan expression made his response even better. "Anything. A gambling hall. A shady tavern. A cave in the middle of nowhere. Why did you have to pick a _whorehouse_?"

"This coming from the city's biggest closet pervert," Obito quipped. "I've seen your stash of pornographic novels. Does Rin know about those?"

Rin's eyebrows rose. "Unfortunately." She shook her head and smiled at them. "I'm glad to see you two are okay. So what happened?"

Before either of them could answer, Pein and Konan stepped into the room from the hallway that led into the underground chambers of the Guild. While Konan stood silent vigil at Pein's side, Pein addressed Obito with an obvious respect that quite literally shocked everyone but the three of them.

"Has everything been taken care of, sir?"

Sakura's jaw dropped. "'Sir'?"

Obito smirked a little. "It has." It was interesting to actually be able to see the expressions on his face. He wore a mask for so long that Sakura got used to imagining his expressions based on his tone of voice and body language. Now, she got to see the whole spectrum.

Sakura looked at Pein, who inclined his head toward Obito in a brief, polite dip of acknowledgement. She then turned to Obito and stared. "…What."

Obito brought his gloved hand to his chin, his smirk widening into an amused sort of grin. "Well, Sakura," he said, "I have a confession to make."

"You're joking," Sakura said. She turned back to Pein and said, "Tell me he's joking."

"He isn't," Pein replied.

Obito met Sakura's eyes and said, "I am the real Leader of the Thieves' Guild."

Sakura's jaw dropped. "You're _what_?"

"Holy shit," said Ino.

Rin pressed her hands to the sides of her head with an expression of shock. "This whole thing just gets crazier and crazier the more I hear."

"Pein and Konan were working under me," Obito said. "I had Pein act as the official leader so I would be free to shadow Madara without arousing suspicion from him. Had I been the figurehead of the Guild, the act would have been up a long time ago."

Sakura shoulders slumped. "So… all this time… you knew I was…"

"I honestly didn't know anything about you," Obito told her truthfully. "I left most of the Guild matters to Pein and Konan while I occasionally gave them orders on the side. I did order for them to assign thieves to steal the ruby and then the signet ring, but I didn't know it would be you. I didn't realize you were a member of the Guild until that night you saw me leaving the Red Moon and I saw you going into it."

"So _that's_ why you were here," Sakura said.

Obito stared at her. "…Why did you _think _I was visiting a brothel?"

"Why would _any other man_ visit a brothel?" Sakura returned.

"…Fair point. Still, I was here on business, checking in with Pein and Konan in preparation to act against Madara."

"So that's why I had such a hard time picking your pocket—you're a thief, too," Sakura realized. Her eyes were wide with this sudden truth. "And that's how Itachi knew you. That's what you meant when you said not everything you did against Madara all these years has been legal. God, this explains… _so much _about you. Wow."

"Well… I'm not a full-time thief. Unlike someone."

"_Hey_," Sakura warned. She frowned as she remembered something else. "Wait… what of the coup d'état?"

Rin nodded. "I was wondering about that, too"

"Negotiations have been in place for a while between Hashirama, Minato, and Fugaku Uchiha," Obito explained. "Madara threw a wrench in those plans, but now that he's gone, it's not only a gesture of good faith that Hashirama is still willing to talk things out with the Uchihas, it also means negotiations can resume uninterrupted. At the very least, Itachi will be named head of the family, and the coup will be prevented either way.

Sakura sighed with relief. "Sounds like everything's worked out for the better, then."

"So it would seem," Kakashi agreed.

* * *

暁 **TK Grimm** 暁

* * *

And so, things finally began to settle into place in the city of Venice. Obito returned to the Uchiha family, and Itachi was named head of the family. Madara was found guilty of his crimes, and no amount of persuasion could convince the Doge otherwise this time. Rin returned to her clinic, and Kakashi returned as captain of the city guard. The Thieves' Guild remained as it was, active and operational.

All too soon, the final day of Carnevale had arrived. Sakura walked side by side with Ino down the street on the side of the Canal Grande. Fireworks burst over the city, making the waters ripple and shimmer in various colors. People danced, sang, drank and partied all through the night for one last time until next year's festival.

"Have you talked to Obito yet?" Ino asked.

"Well… I haven't really had a chance," Sakura said. "He's been so busy getting his life back in order. I don't want to bug him, you know?"

She expected Ino to rebuke her right away and go into another of her speeches about true love, but this time, she didn't. Instead, Ino spoke in a normal, surprisingly serious tone and kept her gaze straight ahead. "You know… one of the major problems with the noble families is their policy on marriage. A lot of them aren't allowed to marry below their station."

Sakura frowned and averted her gaze. She'd tried really hard not to think about that ever since Madara told her that very same thing, but it was difficult. When it came down to it, whether or not Obito felt anything for her, he probably wouldn't be allowed to be with her. He was from a highborn family, second only to the Senju line, and she was a nobody—a thief who lived in a whorehouse.

"That's actually the reason why I left the Yamanaka family, you know," Ino murmured.

Sakura's head whipped around toward Ino in shock. "_What_?"

Ino gave a humorless smile and said, "It's true. There was this guy, and when we were younger, I thought I was completely in love with him. But his family ranked higher than mine, and he was the second in line to take over the seat of head, so… he wasn't allowed to see me. My parents set me up in an arranged marriage with the heir to the Nara family, and before I knew it, my whole life was planned out for me without a single decision being my own."

"Oh my god, Ino," said Sakura. "That's… _awful_. I'm so—"

"Don't say you're sorry," Ino said. She turned her head toward Sakura, and her smile turned a little more genuine. "So I packed up my bags and ran away. Left a note saying I wasn't coming back, and not to bother looking for me. I don't think they ever did, either.

"But you know what?" Ino asked, continuing. "I don't regret it. Sure, I'm living what most would call a hard life, but I'm making my own choices. I'm free to do what I want when I'm not working. I have friends, a new family in that silly Guild we're members of, and I'm in control of my life for the first time in _ever_. If I do ever fall in love, then it will be with someone who won't say no just because their parents said so. And all of that… has made this completely worth it."

Sakura looked at Ino in awe. Most people brushed her aside like a ditzy, pervy blonde, but that was just who she was on the outside. Truth be told, Ino had a lot more layers to her than anyone gave her credit for. She was wise, experienced, and she didn't hesitate with her thoughts or actions. It was truly commendable.

"So who was the guy?" Sakura asked. "The one that got away?"

Ino glanced at Sakura with a small smirk. "Sasuke Uchiha."

Sakura hummed at the unfamiliar name. "Well, he sounds like a dick."

Ino laughed and slung an arm over Sakura's shoulders. "The pretty ones always are."

* * *

暁 **TK Grimm** 暁

* * *

When Sakura and Ino parted ways, Sakura found herself wandering through Dorsoduro rather aimlessly. This was the district where Sakura usually ran into Obito, before their lives became so complicated. Well, she supposed in a way, they were always complicated. But now, it seemed the excitement had worn off and turned into drama more troublesome than before.

She almost didn't expect to find him here, and yet, to her surprise, there he was. Obito was sitting by the docks on the south side of Dorsoduro with his legs hanging off the edge. His eyes seemed glued to the ocean, and he was apparently oblivious to the world going on behind him.

An evil grin spread over Sakura's face, and she crept up behind him. It was the perfect opportunity, after all. And so, as soon as she was within reach, she quickly shot out her hand and moved to swipe his coin purse. However, he caught her wrist at the last second and made her yelp in surprise.

"Seriously?" Sakura demanded as she tried to wrench her arm free of his grasp. "How do you _do _that?"

Obito looked up at her, not releasing her wrist, and seemed mildly surprised. "You really shouldn't sneak up on people. I very nearly threw you into the ocean just now."

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Charming."

"Shame I'm not a prince," he teased.

Sakura tried to hide her blush by making an angry huff and finally pulling her wrist out of Obito's hand. She sat down next to him on the dock and looked out at the ocean. The light from the fireworks sparkled on the water's surface. She could hear someone playing a lute, but she didn't bother trying to find the sound.

"Last day of Carnevale," she commented. "I'm a little depressed."

Obito glanced at her. He was silent for a moment before he asked, "Would churros make you feel better?"

"Maybe," she said. "Are you buying?"

"I suppose I can be generous just this once," he said with a sigh.

Obito stood and offered his hand to Sakura. She placed her hand in his and let him pull her back up to her feet. Her throat dried a little when Obito didn't let go of Sakura's hand and instead held onto it as the two of them walked away from the dock. The black leather of his gloves felt cool to the touch.

"If I don't, you'll probably just steal them," he added.

The romantic moment was shattered, and Sakura used her free hand to punch him in the shoulder. "I would not!"

"Right," he drawled, rubbing his arm. "I don't know what could have possibly given me that idea."

Sakura blushed again and averted her gaze in her rising depression. When she looked away, she caught sight of a rather beautiful ring on display at a jewelry stand. It appeared to be made of Chinese jade with gold filigree—definitely worth a fair amount of florins. Well, churros would help her feel better, it was true, but this would _definitely_ fix her mood.

"I'll, uh… be right back."

"Hm?"

Sakura slipped her hand out of Obito's grasp and casually strolled over to the jewelry stand. She pretended to examine a silver necklace with a square-cut sapphire and discretely pocketed the jade ring before the merchant even knew her hands had wandered. Then, she turned her nose up at the sapphire necklace as if displeased and returned to Obito.

The worry practically melted off her, and her smile lit up her face as she held up the jade ring for inspection. "Ah, I feel so much better."

Obito stared at her for a moment before he shook his head in disbelief. "Some women relax with a few candles and a good book. Others like to steal valuable objects."

Sakura pocketed the ring and frowned up at him. "Is that a complaint?"

Obito held up his hands to placate her. "No—it certainly keeps things interesting."

"Good. Because, y'know, that would have been pretty hypocritical of you… _boss_."

"Most subordinates do what their leaders tell them to," Obito drawled.

Sakura scoffed. "I'm not one of your lackeys. I work for Kakuzu."

"Who works for me," Obito reminded her.

"Hush. Don't distract me with your logic."

Obito laughed then, and Sakura soon joined him. They stood there for a while, smiling at each other. It was just so easy to be around each other, so easy to forget themselves. Sakura would have liked to spend the rest of her days like that, and honestly, Obito could, too.

"Obito," Sakura said, her smile slipping. "When you said… you weren't ever going to marry…" She trailed off.

Obito eyed her for a moment before he spoke. "I was under the impression I might not survive long enough. And I didn't care to meet anyone my family would have set me up with."

Sakura lowered her gaze and nodded. "I suppose now the family must be pushing you to marry. What with you being a hero of the city and all."

"Actually, Itachi told me I could do whatever I wanted," Obito said. "He's head of the family now, since his father stepped down during negotiations with the Senju. I don't think he cares about keeping things in the family, not like the other heads."

Sakura's heart quickened in her chest, and she looked up at Obito's face to see if he meant that. Was he insinuating what she thought he was? "So… you're free to pursue whoever you want?"

He tilted his head a little to the side and smiled curiously at her. "Why, are you interested?"

"No, maybe, I don't know."

"I see," he said, humoring her. "Well, should you change your mind…"

"Wait!" Sakura said when he turned away. Obito glanced back at her, waiting. "I… don't mess with me, Obito. If you care for me, if you could love me, I want you to mean it. Don't… don't change your mind later on."

Obito looked at her seriously. "I've put a lot of thought into it. And maybe had some sense knocked into me by Rin and Kakashi. But I wouldn't do that to you, Sakura." He held out his hand toward her. "If I were to court you… it would be for us. No one else."

Sakura raised her hand and hesitantly placed it in his. "I think I'm in love with you."

Obito grinned at her. "Well. That's a good start. Because I'm in love with you, too."

On that last night of Carnevale, with the fireworks overhead, Obito pulled Sakura close and kissed her. It was a good start—the start of something truly beautiful. Rin was right; having a dream helped one move forward in life. Obito was Sakura's dream.

For the first time for both of them, the future looked bright.

The End

* * *

暁 **TK Grimm** 暁

* * *

**TK**: And that's the end! If you are interested, here is some background information on the story. Otherwise, I do have the usual discussion down at the bottom. And so, behind the scenes of Carnevale…

My original outline, before I even started Chapter 1, consisted of:

Chapter 1 – Sakura is saved by Obito, falls in love and decides to learn his identity  
Chapter 2 – Sakura wins games at Carnevale to obtain the Golden Mask to get to the Doge's Ball so she can meet Obito again  
Chapter 3 – Sakura gets into the Doge's Ball, dances with Obito, and they live happily ever after

…I'm not even kidding. That's all there was. That was my basic "game plan" when I started writing Chapter 1. Ino being a prostitute, Sakura stealing Kiba's dagger, and the existence of the Thieves' Guild were all things that happened accidentally during the process of writing Chapter 1. And from there, each chapter further developed this "universe" of mine and added more and more subplots.

I made a more legitimate outline after I wrote Chapter 2 which included the Uchiha civil conflict and Sakura's involvement, as well as a more fleshed out ending. I considered that my final outline. And _yes_, Obito was the leader of the Thieves' Guild from the very beginning.

Chapter 3 (Heist) and Chapter 5 (Friend) were on included in that final outline and thus were written on the spot because I wanted more character development and interactions. I hate rushed romance (ironic, because most of my stories are under the 50k mark).

Random fun fact: In Chapter 4, when Sakura is trying not to think about the prospect of Obito courting her and she distracts herself with an image of Hidan in a grass skirt dancing around a totem pole, that lovely mental image is actually thanks to _**firefly**_'s one-shot: "Carry On Dancing". It's crack humor, and it's epic genius. Read it.

Basically, the majority of this story was written on the spot with a lot of improvisation, making it up as I went along, and pretty much winging it. But hey, it worked out in the end. I'm pleased with the final result.

For the record, I very nearly went on hiatus twice while writing this. I got caught up in re-watching Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood and found myself swooning over Greed, and it was making the creative muse wander down dark paths. I had to stop watching, or I'd never finish this story.

And that's pretty much it. As with all of my stories, **if you want a permanent copy of this**, message me and I will e-mail one to you. I keep very nice, polished PDF files of all my stories just in case one of them gets pulled down (cough_RockStarRising_cough).

Until next time. Farewell, minions!

_TK Grimm_

* * *

暁 **TK Grimm** 暁

* * *

**Today's Topic**: Sasuke (BEWARE – CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR THE VERY LATEST CHAPTER)

Okay… seriously? _Seriously_? I literally just finished reading it and had to write up my discussion right away simply because of how _bogus_ it was. What the hell, Sasuke? I don't know if you're actually this fickle with your decisions on whose side you're on, or if that last minute decision was just so you could fight Naruto in the end, but what the actual fuck?

You know, I have been a fan of Naruto for like… 8 or 9 years, and I've spent 90% of that time hating Sasuke with a burning passion. Then I read a couple fan fictions where maybe he wasn't so bad or maybe they explained why he was an ass and he got better, and I slowly converted to, "Okay, he's just in a dark place. He's not a bad person. Just be patient with him because apparently Uchihas can't fucking help themselves and are douchebags (minus Obito, who was a sweetheart in his youth and then shit happened)."

Point being, I stopped hating Sasuke, actually kinda started to like him, especially after reading Darkpetal16's "Sakura". I was all set and ready to be patient with Sasuke and let him become a decent human being in his own time, and it briefly seemed like he was.

And now he's gone all dark side for like, the bazillionth time in the series (seriously? Show some consistency, for fuck's sake), and it's right at the end, too, after the final battle, war's over, all we have to do is wake everyone up, but hey, jaykay, jaykay, Sasuke wants to kill everyone and start a ninja revolution. Because ONE war wasn't bad enough apparently. He just couldn't let Madara/Obito/Kaguya outshine his spotlight, the fucking princess.

Okay, rant over. And I apologize. I'm not bashing Sasuke—or at least, I'm trying not to. Like I said, I really, really want to like him. I have tried _so hard_ to like him, but this is like, the last straw, seriously.

What are your thoughts? Did you read the last chapter? Did it make your jaw drop with a "wtf" stare at Sasuke for his general douchebaggery? By chance do you think it's all a ploy so he can fight Naruto? Is there a decent human being buried in there? Or did seeing Sasuke go turncoat once again just make you ragequit the manga entirely?

Our last discussion folks :) I look forward to hearing from you.

Peace.


End file.
